Humanity
by FireTurnsToAsh
Summary: Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.
1. Chapter One

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **A:N In this story, Stefan didn't have to die to save his brother or Mystic Falls, this story is going to be about Stefan's human life and what I would've liked to see for him. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 _Six Years Ago…_

The bar was packed with rowdy people as Stefan sat and spun his wedding ring on the mahogany bar. It had been months since he and Caroline decided that their marriage wasn't going to work in the long run; it was best for both of them to let it go, cut the cord and move on. It was just hard. He downed his bourbon and waved his hand for a refill. This human tolerance made it very cheap for him to get drunk. It was the first time he had let go, he tried to build this perfect life for himself in Clearhollow, a small town in New York State, but he was almost always alone. Silence was deafening in his home and in public, so was the noise. He had a job he loved and a humble home, but it wasn't enough. He wanted the life he used to have, he wanted his brother to be around him and for all their friends to be close by, but he had to understand that everyone was moving on with their lives, Stefan had to, too.

"Give me a stiff drink, anything. You decide." A brunette sat down beside Stefan and rested her arms on the bar. After a moment she shrugged off her jacket and slumped it over the back of the chair and looked at Stefan from the corner of her eye as she gripped her glass. She could tell by his face that he was going through some sort of inner turmoil and by the way he constantly spun a wedding ring, she knew she didn't want to delve into something personal. Everyone was going through some shit, she had plenty of her own.

He was definitely giving off a vibe, he was sad and lonely and as he caught the young woman beside him fidget uncomfortably in her seat he looked at her and gave her a fleeting smile. "Sorry, I'll move."

She rolled her eyes into herself and gripped him by the arm as he got off his stool. "No, don't do that. Sorry, I'm just having a rough day, well a rough couple of years. I didn't mean to put you off your drink."

He sat back down on the stool and sipped the rest of his bourbon as she watched her test the mystery drink. "Well, what did he give you?"

"Vodka and soda." She grimaced a little and set the cup back down. "It's definitely stiff."

He laughed a little and put his wedding ring back into his pocket. "I'm Stefan, by the way."

"Nice name, you lived here long?"

"Only a couple of months."

"Thought you were new here, I would've remembered you."

"Are you from here?"

"Originally but I moved to New York City for college. I'm just coming back for… Well, let's just say I really don't want to divulge my personal life to someone I don't really know." She held onto her glass and looked around the room, noticing a couple of faces from her high school days, but she looked away before anyone lay eyes on her.

"To each their own, but what's the harm in opening up to a drunk stranger?"

"Because in Clearhollow, no one stays a stranger for too long. You'll learn that soon enough."

"If we're going to be getting better acquainted in this town, then why don't we get the awkward small talk out of the way?"

She regarded him for a moment, her glass pressed against her bottom lip. It was a tempting offer, but she had a better one. "How about this, we can be friends, as long as we agree to follow these three simple rules. It'll make life so much easier for the both of us."

"I'm listening…"

"Rule one, we don't fall for each other. We don't become those friends that try a chance at romance just for it to crash and burn." She took a sip and crossed one leg over the other as she turned in her chair to face Stefan. "Rule two, we don't talk about our past, the only thing that I think matters is the future. And finally, rule three is that we support each other at every opportunity, no matter what. That's what real friends would do."

Her rules were intriguing, this girl had obviously been burned in the past by her friends and she worked out that this was the only way that she wouldn't get hurt again. It was quite sad, but everyone had been burnt in the past by friends, especially Stefan. She was the only person that he had spoke to in this town that seemed to be genuine and it made him want to accept her rules for a chance at friendship. Having a friend would definitely keep his mind off Caroline.

"Fine, I accept your rules. Do I get your name?"

"Of course, you do, my name is Madison and you, Stefan are now the only friend I have in this shithole of a town." She clinked her glass against his and smirked at him. "Because of our rules, we don't have to have all those awkward conversations about past relationships, what we did when we were younger, our families and all of that jazz; we can just hang out and catch up."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. If only making friends was as easy as this before I got back to town, right?"

"Will this really work?"

"If you have faith that it will, then it will."

"Then I think it's a good idea to exchange numbers so that we can actually keep in contact."

She shrugged a little and took out her phone. She took his number and placed the phone back into her pocket. "I have somewhere to be, but I'll be in touch. See you later, friend." She grinned at him before picking up her jacket and strolling towards the door.

Madison was a character, but he wasn't too sure how this relationship was going to go down or how long her rules would stay intact. She was clearly the boss and he was going to stick around just for the entertainment factor.

* * *

She stood in the middle of her parent's living room, listening to people she didn't care about pay their respects to her and her two siblings, Maria and Mitch. It had only been a couple of days since their mother died but Madison was already over it; it sounded heartless and she knew it, but she never really saw eye to eye with her mother, her father was the one that actually took the time to get to know her and care for her. While she was at college, her father was the only member of her family that called to check in on her. She mourned her mother when she learned of her death, but unlike her sister, she didn't want to spend her short time in life crying. She was so tired of crying.

Madison looked at Maria as she sobbed into a tissue and rolled her eyes, she was always such a drama queen. When she looked at Mitch, he gave her an awkward smile of comfort and continued to accept condolences. It was getting to be too much for her, being around all these people that she hadn't saw in ten or, so years was pointless to her; having a massive wake after the funeral was all her sister's idea. All Madison wanted to do was spend time with her grieving father. He took it harder than anyone else.

"How are you feeling, dad?" Madison sat on the bench out on the porch, taking his hand gently.

"I'm keeping it together for now. What about you?"

"I'm fine, truly. If any of us were going to crumble, it would be you or Mitch."

"What about your sister?"

Madison scoffed and shook her head. "Most of that crying is fake."

"Oh, play nice, Maddie." Her dad nudged her a little and rolled his eyes.

"This is me playing nice, you should hear what I'm thinking about her in my head." She glanced through the window at her sister and let out a sigh, going quiet for a moment. "This isn't what mum would've wanted and we all know it. Mum liked her quiet glasses of wine by the firepit out back. That's what we should've done."

"You know what Maria is like, I love her, but she gets too involved sometimes."

"She thinks because she's the oldest that she gets to decide what we all do. If you didn't want this wake, you should've said."

"With your mother passing so suddenly, I was grateful for Maria to step in and take over. I don't think I would've been able to cope."

"I would've helped you, I would do anything for you." She placed her hand over her father's once more and gave him a comforting smile which he returned.

"I know, but you live in the city and you've just finished your degree."

"I plan on sticking around, for you dad. I'll get a job in the town and move back home. I don't want you staying in this house alone." She glanced inside the house once more and let out a sigh. "I know that Mitch and Maria will be around you for the next couple of days, but they have kids to look after and time will move on for them a lot quicker. You need the company."

"I wouldn't turn down having you around again, but your room has been refurnished."

She patted her dad on the shoulder and got onto her feet. "I'll sleep on the sofa until we make a little bit of extra room for me."

"You actually want to move back in here?"

"You need the company and I can't resist your poached eggs and toast. I want to be here for you dad."

"I'll redecorate your room in the morning, it'll help me take my mind off the funeral."

"Keeping yourself busy won't make you feel any better, dad."

"No, but it'll stop my mind from racing." He glanced into the house and let out a sigh. "I think I should head back in and see how Maria and Mitch are holding up."

"I'll be out here if you need me." She gave her father a quick kiss on his cheek and watched him until he disappeared into the house.

* * *

She was enjoying the quiet, she didn't really do too well in a huge crowd. She took her packet of cigarettes from her purse and lit one, enjoying the feeling of the nicotine rush. She closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the wall. Her mind drifted to the last conversation she had with her mum, it was an argument about the way her life was going. She had her degree but that's all she had; any relationship she had failed, and she could barely keep a barista job throughout college. Her mum wasn't delusional, she knew the party lifestyle sucked her up and it disgusted her. She stored that memory into the safe place of her mind as she took another drag; she told herself that she was too strong to break.

"Madison," the voice was familiar, she hadn't heard it in years, "I wanted to drop by to pay my respects." Hayden Carter had kept his high school charm even in his mid-twenties. Not much had changed with him, he still had his blonde hair gelled at the front into a quiff and he still had the shoulders of a swimmer.

Madison looked at him through one eye and noticed the large bouquet of flowers in his hand. She raised a brow and leaned forward, resting her arm on her thighs. "Of course you showed up. I don't know why, we haven't spoke in four years."

"You broke up with me, remember? Listen, I didn't come here to fight with you about the past, I really liked your mum and I was sorry to hear about her passing."

She nodded at him as she took one last puff from her cigarette and flicked it away. "She liked you too, I think that's why I broke up with you." She took the flowers from him, staring down at them. "Peonies, they were her favourite."

"I know, you used to make me buy her a bunch for her birthday every year." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and puckered his lips. "I saw you at the bar last night, I didn't want to say anything to you because I know you're probably going through a lot. I heard through the grapevine about the guy in New York and then your mum got sick…"

"Listen, I appreciate you coming by to pay your respects, but you don't need to throw me a pity party. My life is shitty, I know that. I got over that fact a long time ago."

Hayden barely knew the person that was standing in front of him, he knew it had been four years and her mum had just passed away, but Madison was a lot colder than usual; when he dated her in high school, she was that ray of sunshine that tried to lift other people up. This person standing in front of him, it was a tainted version of the girl he used to know. "What happened to you, Mads? You've changed."

"Bad things change a person, you know? When you have your heart broken in the worst possible way, it makes you a little cynical. I don't mean to be so nasty but it's part of my charm now."

"You don't have to be like this, you can be the Madison that I used to know."

She smiled a little, not out of happiness but because his comment was a big cliché. "I don't think so, Hayden. It was nice of you to drop by, if you want to stay there's sandwiches, if you don't then that's fine." She turned to step back into the house, but Hayden grabbed her wrist.

"Listen, I know you don't talk to many people here anymore but if you ever want to talk to someone that knows the real you, you know where to find me. My address hasn't changed. We can get coffee."

She looked over his face and nodded at him. "I'll think about it. Thanks for the peonies."

"I'm being serious, don't just mug me off. I want to be here for you."

She regarded him for a moment before pulling her wrist out of his grasp. "I said that I'll think about it." Madison walked into the house without looking back, she didn't want to get herself sucked back in to the small-town world, she couldn't live her life to the fullest if she just settled in Clearhollow.

* * *

Another day at Joe's had come to an end and as the last car drove off, Stefan felt a bit of relief. His back was aching after spending all day hunched over cars; he didn't miss this part of being human at all. He wiped off his hands and made his way up to his boss's office, knocking on the door lightly.

"I'm heading home, Joe. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yes, I'll see you bright and early."

He nodded and grabbed his jacket from the rack as he walked past, placing it over his body and zipping it up tight. Now that he had nothing to do, he thought back to last night and that girl he met. He didn't really understand her or her rules; the best part about becoming friends with someone was learning everything about them, his loneliness drove him to accept her offer and now he was unconvinced. Surely a friendship couldn't work without the understanding on a personal level. He checked his phone and saw a missed call from an unsaved number, he knew it was going to be her. He didn't know if he should call her back or not, was he really that desperate for company that he was going to call this 'friend' of his?

"Hello Stefan, nice of you to return my call."

"I was working, what's up?"

"I just wanted to check that you still agree to my rules now that you're sober. At least, I hope you're sober."

"I'm sober and I agree. Is that all you were calling me for?"

"No, I want to meet up with you. I need to ask your advice about something."

"I was going to head home, you can come around if you want?"

"Text me your address and I'll meet you there."

* * *

She was waiting for him when he got home, sat on his porch with the faintest of smiles. He parked his car and got out, feeling a little awkward about their situation. He unlocked his front door and waved her into the house watching her as she looked around his quaint home.

"I bet this wasn't what you were expecting my house to look like." He said as he took off his jacket, hanging it on the banister.

"I thought you were going to live in a bachelor's pad, I mean you've obviously broke up with your spouse," when he raised a brow at her, she rolled her eyes and took a seat on his sofa, "you were spinning your wedding ring like you were wanting someone to bring it up."

"I didn't think you were that observant."

"I'm always observant." She remarked.

He nodded and sat at the other end of the sofa, his arm resting on the back of it. He watched the young woman, she seemed to be vulnerable and perhaps a tad insecure. It was just the impression he got of her.

"What kind of advice is it that you're looking for?"

"I'm good with character analysis, it was part of my degree and from what I've picked up on you, you seem to be this down to earth romantic that yearns for everything good in a person. Would I be right in saying that?"

"Well, that's how I like to think of myself. What was it that you did for a degree?" he was trying to get pieces of information out of her, it would make him feel more secure in this 'friendship'.

"Law, anyway, I know I told you we weren't going to talk about our past but technically this will tie into the future and that was part of our agreement…"

"You're rambling but I don't mind making an exception to these 'rules', as long as you're okay with it."

"Well, we're the only friends each other has so we have to be. Anyway, I'm going to give you a backstory, I had this boyfriend in high school called Hayden and he was perfect for me or at least I thought so. My parents and my siblings loved him, and he fit in well with the family and then when I moved to New York City, he doesn't call me or come to visit, and my mum is constantly asking about him and I get sick of being ghosted and break things off with him."

He raised a brow and leaned in closer to her as he tried to follow along with her story. She was speaking so fast that it was a little hard for him to take in all the information she was throwing at him. He put it down to her feeling awkward around him too. "Right?"

She sighed and put her hands on her lap as she prepared to drop a bombshell into Stefan's lap. "So, my whole reason for coming home is because my mum died,"

"What? I'm so sorry for your loss…" he was being genuine, it could've explained a lot about her impulsive desire for a friend. Maybe she had no one else to talk to, but him?

She smiled slightly at him and looked away, "I took it hard at first, but we didn't really get on too well. Hayden showed up at her wake today with her favourite flowers and this concerned air about him. We were talking about how much I've changed because I wasn't always like this and he tells me to visit him and go for coffee. I really want to but then I think about the way things ended between us and it puts me off."

Stefan sat in silence for a moment as he tried to go through all the details that Madison dropped onto his lap. His head was practically spinning, he didn't know what she was wanting him to do… Was she expecting him to tell her what to do? She did class him as a 'romantic'.

"Are you wanting to meet up with him? It could be good for you."

"I don't know," when she looked at him, he could see just how vulnerable she was. She wasn't the same girl that he had met at the bar, instead she was this fragile woman who was confused about all the things going on in her life, "it could be a good thing?"

"I don't want to tell you what to do, I know that we're 'friends' but I don't know you well enough yet to help you make a choice."

"Tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes."

He let out a sigh and shook his head. "If it was me, I would take the chance. Meet with Hayden and hear him out. If you don't like what he has to say, then you don't have to pursue a friendship with him. You don't owe anyone anything."

She rested her arm on the arm of the chair and rolled her eyes into herself. "Something that you'll learn about me is that I never really know what I want, and I think it's one of my biggest downfalls."

"You're still young and sometimes it's okay to not know what you want. We only get a few years on earth and we aren't going to be certain about every choice we make throughout those years. Everything is about trial and error; have coffee with this guy, Hayden and if it doesn't work, then you tried."

She smirked a little and stared at Stefan's face. "You sound like you're a hundred years old or something."

His face dropped a little as he took in a deep breath. "I guess you can say, I'm just wise before my time."

"I'm sorry for burdening you with all of this, I just don't have anyone I can talk to about things like this."

"I'm going to be honest with you because I think you should know if we are going to have a real friendship; you can't skip over the good things, getting to know someone on a deep and personal level is the best thing about building a friendship."

"How about we get rid of rule number two? We keep the first and third, but we take the time to get to know each other."

Stefan smiled at her nodded as he got onto his feet. "I can't wait to meet the real Madison because I can tell that this isn't her."

She looked up at him and bit harshly on her lip. "You don't want to get to know the real me."

"I do, if you're scared that I'm going to run off when I see all the bad things about you then you've underestimated me. Now, do you want to stay for dinner because you look like you could do with something to eat?"

"If it isn't too much trouble."

"Not at all, it'll be nice cooking for someone other than me." He waved for her to come into his kitchen and once she was inside he started giving her directions.

* * *

Stefan knew that if he was going to get Madison to open up to him and release some of the negative emotions she was clinging on to, he would have to show her that he was worth keeping around. He had saw this person before, he had been that person; the one that everyone tip toes around. He wasn't blind, he could see that she came with a lot of baggage, she made that clear; but he couldn't let this young woman spend the rest of her life carrying it around with her. He wanted to help.

The way she ate her food, it was like someone was going to snatch the plate from her; she didn't tell him, but she thought his cooking was amazing, as much as she loved her father's cooking, he was nowhere near as good as Stefan. He watched her with a grin as she scraped the rest of the sauce from her plate and took the plate from her.

"Have you even eaten today?" he said as he set the plates into the sink.

"I didn't have the time; the funeral was so early and then all these people kept talking to me and I had to check up on my father…"

"You've had a busy day then, it makes sense." He leaned against the counter and stared down at her as she sat at the dining table, investigating the pictures he had hung on the wall. "I don't mean to pry and stop me if I'm crossing a line, but what happened between you and your mother?"

"You know, you're the only one that asked for my side of the story. My brother and sister didn't want to hear it and you couldn't say a bad thing about my mum to my dad. When I was studying in New York City, I met this guy called Jason and I fell for him very quickly. He was the kind of guy any mother would've complained about but I'm stubborn and I wouldn't listen to her. I was so entranced by him that any time I had a job to tide me over, he would complain that he never saw me and I would just quit it to spend time with him and when my mum heard that I was moving into his penthouse in a really dodgy area of the city, she lost her shit."

"She was probably just looking out for you."

"I know but I didn't want to hear it. Anytime we spoke it turned into an argument about him and when I tried to tell her how well I was doing at college, she shut me down. And then one day I came home to find all his things gone and a note… When I told her, I got no comfort." Madison leant against the table and closed her eyes. "I just needed her to be my mum again and she wouldn't do it."

"I know how difficult relationships with mothers can be; I had a complicated relationship with my own, but you don't want to hold onto all that resentment. It's not healthy."

"What happened with you and your mother? I told you about mine, it's time for you to spill the beans."

Stefan stepped back over to the dining table and placed his hands on the back of the chair across from Madison. "She left my brother and I alone with a destructive father. When she came back, she had a new family and she didn't care about us. I got the closure I needed, but Damon didn't."

Madison watched the emotions flicker across his face; first came anger, then sadness and finally peace. She could tell that what happened to him happened a long time ago, the emotions he was conveying wasn't as raw as hers.

"Is she dead?"

Stefan nodded and looked down at Madison. "Both of my parents are."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Like you, I'm over it. It's just me now; my brother has his perfect life with his girlfriend and I have," he put his hands in the air and looked around the room, "this. If I could go back in time, I'd do things differently."

"It'll get better for you, Stefan. Don't count yourself out just yet."

"I haven't, I'm just waiting for my happy ending too."

She looked down at her hands and raised her brows. "I believe happy endings come for us all, but only if we deserve it. You definitely do, I mean, look how kind you've been to me; cooking me dinner and listening to my ramblings."

"We're friends, I would do anything for my friends." When she looked at him, they shared a smile. When he saw her with her guard down, she wasn't as standoffish as she appeared to be at the bar; he liked this side of Madison and he wanted to see more of it.

* * *

 **A:N Hope you enjoyed this first chapter, I'm planning a lot of things with this story and I intend on continuing with this soon. I wanted to create a complex and sometimes confusing female character because there are very few people that actually have their lives completely together, as human beings we change our minds a lot and we say and do stupid things. I'm open to all feedback, positive or negative. Thank you for reading this and if you want to read more, add it to your following list. I want to get the next chapter out when I finish my story 'Monsters' which I hope will be before the end of the month. Again, thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

It had been the first time in four years that Madison was awake before noon; she didn't know what to do with herself, she had no classes to go to and she didn't have a job, unlike Stefan; she didn't want to be a burden to him. They had only become friends, she wasn't going to be clingy. As she folded up the blanket she slept with, she looked around her father's living room with a small frown as she saw all the old family photos of her with her siblings; she wasn't always so distant with her family… With Maria, yes but not Mitch. He was always a good brother to her, she felt guilty for the way she left things with him before she left for New York. The first thing on her agenda was to hash things out with him. If she was going to make a life for herself in Clearhollow then she couldn't have any awkward encounters with Mitch at the supermarket.

"You're up bright and early." Her dad sounded surprised as he watched her tidy up the living room. "I didn't even hear you come home last night."

"Yeah, I didn't want to wake you up, you needed your rest." She placed her hands on her hips and nodded towards the kitchen. "Want me to make breakfast?"

"I'll cook, you make the coffee." He smiled at her and held his arm out towards her.

Madison couldn't help but smile like she was a child again as she felt the protection under her father's arm. It was like he was going to keep her away from all the bad things that occurred in her past; now that she was back home, she was determined to better herself, not destroy her life again.

* * *

"So, where were you last night?" he asked from the stove.

"Just at a friend's house. I needed some advice and then I stayed for dinner." She watched the coffee slowly drip from the filter, her head rested on her hand.

"Is it advice that I could help with?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him and raised her brows. "I guess a second opinion couldn't hurt." She stepped towards her dad and watched him flip their pancakes. "When you went back into the wake yesterday, Hayden came to pay his respects and left off a bunch of peonies."

"Hayden Carter… The one you dated in high school?" he struggled to put a face to the name but once he did, he nodded with a small smile. "I liked him. He was good for you and good to you."

She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment and scratched the back of her head, underneath her long ponytail. "Yeah, him. Well, we were talking for a hot minute and he suggested that we go out to a coffee shop."

"You have your doubts, don't you Maddie?" he plated up their breakfast and kept his eyes on his daughter as she jogged across the kitchen to pour their coffee.

"Obviously, the guy broke off all contact with me."

"Hayden went through a lot back then, his sister disappeared."

"I know that now, it wasn't really big news in New York City; when I found out it was far too late, like four years too late." She followed her dad to the kitchen table and sat across from him. "Do you think I should meet up with him and apologise about the way things ended?"

He reached across the table and took one of the mugs from Madison and blew at the black liquid. "It wouldn't hurt to have a friend and I mean a friend that knows the real you. I'm sure this other friend of yours is nice as well, but the history isn't there."

"Stefan is just a friend and will stay that way; he just broke up with his wife, so I don't think he's looking for another romantic interest for a while."

"What was Stefan's advice?"

"Basically, the same as you."

"Sounds like a wise man." He smiled as he bit into his waffle. "I'd like to meet him sometime, just to know that he's not a kidnapper or anything."

Madison rolled her eyes playfully and shrugged her shoulders. "Who's going to want to kidnap a grumpy bitch like me?"

"Well, there's a point."

* * *

She stared into her mug and bit at the skin on her bottom lip. One thing that her father would be able to help her with would be the mending of her relationship with Mitch; he was just like their father, the strong silent type. If she was going to fix the bond that used to be between them, she would need her father's wise words.

"I've been doing some thinking and I need to make things right between myself and Mitch."

"What even happened between the two of you? He never told me, and you were tight lipped too."

"I said something about Sarah before he told me she was pregnant."

Her father cleared his throat and raised his bushy brow at her. "What did you say about her?"

"I was complaining about how bitchy she was and told him that I hated her, things would never work out between them and that she had a face like a slapped ass." She leaned deeper into her chair, resting her foot on the seat. "Then he told me she was pregnant, and I didn't congratulate him so he kicked me out and now I think he realised that I was right because he looks miserable with her."

"I'm not going to comment on that, but what I think you should do is apologise firstly, then spend a bit of time with him; get to know Sarah and Rae. You haven't really been the best aunt to any of the kids."

Madison rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "I'm too young to be dealing with kids, I don't know what to say to them. But if that's what you think I should do, then I'll do it."

"Just play nice and you'll do fine."

"Just this once, I'll be as sweet as pie to Sarah and I'll buy Rae a stuffed animal or something." She added a spoonful of sugar into her coffee and rested the cup on her knee. "Thanks for the fatherly guidance."

"That's what I'm here for." He finished up his breakfast and drank the last mouthful of his coffee before getting onto his feet. "Do me a favour and do the dishes before you go, I'm going to make a start on your room so that you'll have a real bed to sleep on."

She smiled at her father as he walked past and played with her bottom lip. Madison had so many apologies to prepare; Mitch's was going to be the easiest, so she had to start there.

* * *

Her brother was living the perfect suburban life; it was almost as sickening as Maria's, but Mitch's home was nowhere near the size of hers. Maria's husband came from money. Madison stood on the porch, pacing back and forth with a stuffed rabbit in one hand and a bunch of gas station flowers in the other. For some reason, she was starting to feel nervous about talking to Mitch; she shouldn't have been because they were siblings and families always come back together. It was probably the fear of having Sarah bitch at her about all the things she said in the past. Madison was just going to have to do it, to pluck up the courage to ring the doorbell. She pressed it quickly and listened for any sign of movement. That's when she saw Sarah through the little panel of glass at the side of the door.

"Oh shit." She mumbled as the door opened.

"Madison," Sarah said in her nasally tone; her voice was the first thing that Madison hated about her, the second was the way she just stared at you like you were growing three heads, "what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping that I could make amends," she nodded to the rabbit and waved the flowers, "I promise that I come in peace."

Sarah looked at the cheap flowers with a pointed brow and then to Madison with that same look that she had always hated. Even in her thirties, she managed to remain unchanged.

"Okay, well come in then." She moved to the side and allowed Madison into their home.

She looked around the tacky house and realised how much of a fetish Sarah had for sparkling things; she was like a magpie collecting glass lamps and ornaments. If it wasn't glass it was glitter and neither complimented each other well. Madison took a seat on the squeaky, black leather sofa and turned to the small, stocky, black haired woman as she watched her with a disapproving look.

"Is Mitch here? I'd really like to speak with him, now." Madison plastered a smile onto her face and resisted the urge to run out of the house and never return.

"Yes, I'll just call for him." Sarah returned the fake smile and stood at the bottom of the staircase, holding onto the bannister with a death like grip. "Mitch, sweetie! Your sister's here to see you." She shouted before looking back at her enemy. "I never got the chance to speak to you at the funeral yesterday. How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected." Madison set the flowers down on the sofa, watching in delight as Sarah grimaced. "How did Mitch take our mother's passing?"

"He was devastated. It was a good thing that Maria swooped in and planned everything because your father and Mitch wouldn't have been able to handle all that planning."

Madison nodded almost robotically. "She's a real saint." She said through gritted teeth.

"Mitch!" Sarah screamed one last time. It did the trick because a second later, Mitch appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, I was writing a letter…" he looked at Madison as he got to the bottom of the stairs and took in a deep breath. "Maddie, what're you doing here?"

"She's here to make amends." Sarah said with a snarky smile.

"Yeah, would you actually mind giving Mitch and I a bit of alone time to talk about our issues?" Madison said with a raised brow.

Sarah looked to Mitch who nodded in agreement with Madison. It infuriated her; she wanted to know what was going to be said. She strutted around the sofa and snatched the flowers aggressively.

"Of course, I don't mind. I'll just put these cheap flowers into some water." She walked into the kitchen and slammed the door shut.

* * *

Mitch sat across from his sister and folded his arms across his chest; both felt awkward and neither of them were daring enough to say the first word. Madison continued to investigate the living room until she grew tired of the quiet and cleared her throat.

"I've been doing some thinking and I want to apologise for the way I behaved before I left for college and for everything that happened." She leaned forward in her seat, her arms rested on her lap and clasped in front of her. Her palms were so cold but sweaty.

"What do you mean by everything, Maddie?"

"Everything I said about Sarah, not being present in Rae's life; I actually bought her a rabbit," she handed the toy over to Mitch and picked at her forehead, "And most importantly, not being there for you. I know that you've been under a lot of pressure with your work and then with mum passing… I should've come home when I found out, not the night before her funeral. It was careless of me and I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology and I guess I have to apologise to you too… Well I don't have to, but I want to; when I heard about what happened to you in New York, I should've been a good big brother and put our differences aside. I should've been there."

Madison was taken back by his words and held herself together; she had no idea that he knew but she assumed that her father confided in him with that information. She felt embarrassed, it meant that Maria and Sarah also knew what she went through. She thought that Mitch didn't care about what happened to her, he didn't want to know anything about it when he called her that one time in those four years she was gone; he just wanted to shout at her for upsetting their mother.

"I forgive you." She bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling as she felt her eyes become wet.

He watched her for a moment, his heart breaking for her a little bit; he had never realised how torn and damaged she was.

"Do you want to talk about Jason? And I can tell you all the things I should've told you years ago." When she finally nodded at him, he copied her stance; hands clasped and leaning forward. "What happened between the two of you?"

"He took advantage of me, he was a lot older than me and more reckless. I quit every job I had because he told me it was the right thing to do for our relationship and my own sanity; he said I should live my life instead of slaving away. I used to think it was cute, he wanted to spend time with me…"

"But it wasn't because of that, was it?"

She shook her head and looked away from her brother. "No, he just wanted someone to party with and for someone to satisfy all of his needs. Then I moved in with him because I couldn't afford accommodation and I felt like a prisoner. We fought every single night and his attacks were psychological. He always brought mum into everything, twisting my feelings for her and then we had that argument." She let out a deep breath as she ran her hands along her thighs. "Next thing I knew, his shit was gone, and I was left with the bills and I mean they were hefty bills." She looked at Mitch, a tear racing down her cheek. "I'm so broke, anything I had saved is gone. I couldn't even afford a train ticket to come home. I had to borrow money just to get to mum's funeral."

"Maddie, if I had have known that your situation was so bad, I would've done whatever I could to pull you out of that hole… If mum had have said something about it,"

"Yeah but she didn't and that's why I have so many harsh feelings towards her."

"I wish I could go back in time and fix things for you."

"Yeah, can I borrow your time machine so that I could go back and avoid Jason at all costs?" she was trying to make a joke out of her situation, but Mitch couldn't see the funny side.

"How much are you in debt?"

"Thousands."

"I can get you a job at a law firm; my lawyer has been looking for a well-trained assistant for ages. I could put the two of you in touch."

Madison smiled, wiping the stray tear from her face. "That would be awesome."

Mitch returned the smile and got onto his feet, holding his arms out towards her. Once she hugged him, he squeezed her tight. "I'll pass on your number and pull some strings. We'll get this mess sorted out, once and for all."

* * *

It was hard for Stefan to concentrate on his job; he couldn't help but worry about Madison after their conversation last night. It was in his nature to be caring and after everything they had spoke about, he could tell that she was much more fragile than she was letting on to be. He wiped the oil from his hands and checked his phone, frowning a little when there were no messages from her. Should he be so attached to her? They barely knew each other… But she was the only person in his town that he knew enough to chat with. He sent her a friendly text and put his phone back in his pocket as a young woman walked into the garage. The woman reminded him of Caroline; she was dressed impeccably and had her blonde hair sitting perfectly curled just below her shoulders. He almost had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't Caroline.

"Hey, are you Joe?" her voice was a little husky.

Stefan smiled a little and shook his head. "No, Joe's out at the moment. I'm Stefan, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, my car broke down just down the road. Would you be able to have a look at it?"

"Of course, I'll just text Joe to let him know that I'm stepping out of the shop." He turned his back to the woman and took his phone from his pocket, noticing that Madison replied to his text.

' _Morning! Just made up with my brother and might have landed myself a job? One apology down, one more to go! Wish me luck!'_

' _Good luck with Hayden, hope it goes well. Proud of you.'_

* * *

He texted Joe quickly as he followed the young woman away from the garage. She looked over her shoulder at him with a sweet smile and twisted her body round so that she could shake his hand.

"I'm Hazel by the way."

He took her hand, lingering for a little longer than he should've. "It's nice to meet you." He strolled up to the Mercedes and instructed her to open the bonnet. "Did it make any noises before it broke down or did it just cut out?"

"This is a little embarrassing, but I stalled the car coming out of the junction and I went to turn the key and it made this cranking noise and wouldn't start."

Stefan nodded and closed the bonnet. "Luckily it's a simple fix. Your battery died. Do you need the car right now because it'll take a couple of hours to charge fully?"

"I was on my way to work, but I guess I could just call them and tell them I won't be in." she went to take her phone from her purse, but Stefan waved his hand.

"Listen, I'll push the car up to the garage and get it on the charge and if you want, I'll drop you off to work."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that." Hazel protested with a smile.

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

She thought about his offer for a moment before closing her purse over. "If you don't mind, I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all." He pointed to the car. "Do you mind getting in and taking off the handbrake?"

"Of course." She bounced over to the door and got into the car. Once she released the handbrake, she opened the door slightly and called out to Stefan. "Now what?"

"Just steer the car when we get to corners, I'm going to start pushing."

* * *

Thankfully, he didn't have to push the car too far because he would've hurt himself if he had to go any further. As he stood up straight, he stretched the stiff feeling out of his back and walked towards his car. Hazel followed him and smirked at the little red car.

"Such a vintage." She commented as she lowered herself into the car. "My dad would really appreciate this car."

"Does he own a vintage car?" he asked as he started to drive off.

"He deals them so if you're ever wanting to sell this, I could fetch you a great price."

Stefan smiled a little and shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever part with this car, it's like my baby."

Hazel ran her fingertips along the dashboard with a school girl-like grin and looked at Stefan. "What year is this? Sorry for all the questions but I love cars."

"It's fine… It's a 1963."

"Where did you find it? It's in amazing condition."

"It was passed down to me and I've just worked on it constantly."

She nodded and looked out the window, pointing at the office buildings in front of them. "That's the building there, thanks for the lift." She went to hand him money, but he kindly refused, pushing it back towards her. "If you're not going to let me pay you then at least let my buy you a drink."

"I'll think about it."

She nodded and let out a little sigh as she got out of the car. "Well, I'll see you after work… For the car." She blushed as she closed the car door and waved at him as she walked towards the building.

' _Just got an invite for a drink… By a girl…'_

' _Are you ready to get back into the dating world?'_

' _I don't know yet… I'm going to think about it. She's picking her car up from me later, might come up with a decision then'_

' _No thinking, just do it.'_

' _Thanks for the helpful advice, Madison!'_

' _Hey, you advised me to go get coffee with Hayden so it's your turn to take a risk'_

' _Suppose so… Are you meeting him today?'_

' _Just waiting for him to arrive, let me know how it goes with that girl. You better say yes!'_

' _We'll see.'_

* * *

Madison put down her phone and looked at all the familiar faces that filled the little coffee shop in the corner of the market square. She wanted the floor to open and swallow her as people passed her, taking double takes to make sure that their eyes weren't tricking them. She was actually relieved when Hayden walked into the coffee shop, but she didn't know if she should get up and hug him or just stay seated.

"No hug then?" he said in a joking tone as he approached the table she was sitting at.

"I didn't know if I should or not. I didn't want to make things any more awkward between us." She said as she got up, wrapping her arms around him. Even after all those years apart, he could comfort her in one swoop. "How are you?"

"I should be the one asking you that."

"You don't want to know how I am, it would just depress you." She said as she glanced out the window.

"What's going on?"

"It's just been an emotional day. I made up with Mitch and then we spoke about what happened in New York."

"If you weren't up for this, you could've cancelled on me. I wouldn't have minded that much."

"I couldn't do that to you, not after the way I spoke to you yesterday."

"Listen, it was a tough day for you regardless of your relationship with your mother. On the plus side, I'm starting to see the Mads that I knew back in the day." He smiled at her and ordered their coffee for them when the waitress approached them; he still remembered how she liked her coffee black with two sugars.

"I'm starting to feel more like myself. With every person I'm apologising to, I'm starting to feel the pressure lifted from my shoulders." She took in a breath and held onto the edge of the table. "Speaking of apologies… I am so sorry for the way things ended between us. I was convinced you were ghosting me and then I found out what happened to Jayda when I got back to Clearhollow and it connected all the dots."

He went quiet for a second as his own emotions started to flare up at the mention of his sister's name. "If I'm going to be honest, I was ghosting you because I didn't know that you had no idea. I just assumed you would've heard and when you didn't come back home right away, I was hurt because it seemed like you didn't care."

"I cared about you, I really did. I don't give you enough credit for putting up with me throughout my high school years and most of my first year at college. You were an angel and I wasn't there when you needed me. Instead I just ended us." She waited for the waitress to put their coffees down before she said, "Looking back, I regret letting you go."

"It was my fault, I should've communicated instead of shutting down. It's just been hell since she disappeared, and it doesn't get any easier, no matter how many years pass."

Madison reached across the table and took Hayden's hand into hers. He looked her in the eyes and it felt like he was staring right into her soul. It sent a shiver down her spine. "Has there been any sign of her since?"

"Just a couple of sightings here, there and everywhere but nothing substantial. She was actually spotted in New York last summer and I thought about going and reconnecting with you but then I heard…"

"If you thought I was a bitch yesterday, you should've saw me a year ago."

"I never thought you were a bitch. I understand what's going on with you."

She pursed her lips and glanced down at his hand, she forgot that she was still holding onto him. Madison let go of his hand and gripped her cup with both hands. "So, have I missed much around here?"

"It's been the same old town since you left."

"What are you doing with yourself?"

"I'm a lifeguard at the pool during the day and then at night I'm training future lifeguards. It's not bringing in a whole pile of money, but it's rewarding." Hayden took a sip from his cup and raised his brows at her. "What about you?"

"Mitch is trying to get me a job with this lawyer he knows but currently I'm doing nothing." She raised her coffee up as a toast and grinned defiantly. "Cheers to being a major failure."

He shook his head, smirking to himself. "You're not a failure, not even in the slightest."

"You're just being nice to me because of my mum." She said as she set her cup back onto the table.

"No, I'm being nice because I'm a decent human being and I know that you need a couple of those knocking around right now."

She watched him for a moment, her teeth grazing the skin on her bottom lip. "Well, thank you because I know that I definitely don't deserve it."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I ruined our relationship. That's what I tend to do with everyone."

"I'm still here, so it's not ruined. It can be fixed. Anything can be put back together."

"This might sound like a crazy idea, but why don't we finish off this coffee and get a couple of drinks? I know that after the day I've had, I could do with a few stiff ones."

Hayden flashed a pleased smile in her direction and gave her one sharp nod. "I'm totally down for that idea."

* * *

Poseidon's Pleasure wasn't the most popular bar in Clearhollow due to its cringey nautical theme, but Madison picked it for a specific reason; she wouldn't be running into anyone she knew because most of the barflies were well over the age of fifty. They aimed for the booth in the corner of the room and made themselves comfortable as they looked over the drink's list.

"Have your preferences in alcohol changed since the last time we were in the same room?" Hayden said with a cheeky grin. "I can remember that party at Christy Henning's like it was yesterday."

Madison tilted her head with her eyes squinted as she tried her best to remember that night. "Nothing's coming back to me."

"Probably because you drank a whole bottle of whiskey and topped it off with some rum."

"I've moved onto classier drinks now like vodka." She smirked as she skimmed over the wine list. "But I thought that it would be cheaper to get a bottle of wine between the two of us, seen as I'm a woman on a budget."

"Don't worry about the price, I'll pay the tab."

"No, I can't let you do that. I have to contribute something."

"Seeing you smile again is contribution enough." He set the list down and got onto his feet. "I'll get the drinks, something to your liking hopefully."

* * *

She kept her eyes on him as he approached the bar and turned her head when he glanced over his shoulder at her. Madison could feel herself slipping back into her old high school ways; she was always attracted to Hayden and his charm. It felt like he was a magnet that kept pulling her in no matter how much she wanted to resist it. She didn't come back to Clearhollow to fall back into the same routine but there was no harm in slipping back into something that was so good and comfortable. When he sat back down in front of her and handed her the drink, their fingers brushed for a second but that second lingered in her nerves as her heart seemed to jump.

"So, before I drink this… What did you get me?"

"Vodka and lemonade for both of us."

She raised her brows as she took a sip, licking the remainder from her top lip. "From what I can remember, you were always a beer guy. Have you changed your tastes?"

"No, I'm definitely still a fan of beer but I thought that I would take a risk and try something different," he drank the vodka mix as if it was his favourite beer, his face giving away how much he disliked it, "but the next round will be back to old reliable."

Madison laughed and sank into the padded seating. "You'll get used to the after taste. It's not so bad after a while."

"I don't think it'll be worth the wait." He watched her as she swirled her drink and shifted his weight in the chair. "I have to ask; did you keep in contact with anyone from high school?"

"Not really, I mean I wasn't the most popular person. I wasn't a cheerleader, I was in the freaking debate club; I just kind of floated around people."

"I don't think you realised how popular you actually were."

"I only got popular because you had some interest in me; I mean you were the superstar athlete. On the swim team, track team and played the occasional baseball game." She listed off his accomplishments on her fingers and smirked at him. "Of course, people were going to try to talk to me when I was dating the golden child."

He couldn't help but laugh at her comment, he couldn't believe how she regarded her high school days. "Shawn, Lola, Hazel and all those guys loved being in your company."

"Yeah, because I was trying to impress them because they were your friends. Once I went to New York, everyone disappeared slowly. Although I do have to admit that I made some great friends in the city so, I must have some redeeming qualities." She took another drink and caught him shaking his head from the corner of her eye. "Do you still talk to your high school friends?"

"They're my friends for life, the guys and I still meet up every Saturday Night for drinks." He looked around the bar and pulled a face. "I'm definitely going to have to show them this place because it's very… Funky."

"That's a word for it." She rummaged through her purse and grabbed her drink.

"Where're you heading?"

"I'm just going to nip out." She shook her almost empty cigarette packet at him and got onto her feet.

He took one last look at his surroundings and got up too. "I'll come with you."

"You don't have to, it's freezing outside."

"I want to."

* * *

The only redeeming quality Poseidon's Passion had was a heated smoking area but even with the tiny bit of heat that radiated from the old generator, they were still cold. Madison's teeth rattled off each other as she folded her arms and crossed her legs, trying to generate some heat of her own. Hayden noticed how cold she was and moved a little closer towards her, draping his jacket over her shoulders.

"Your jacket is going to reek of smoke." She warned as she adjusted the leather.

"I don't mind, as long as you're warm." He put his hands over the exposed part of his arms.

She watched as he started to shiver and moved as close as she could to him, moving that jacket so that both of them were covered. They smiled at each other, their eyes locked on each other and before she could stop herself, she kissed him. To her Madison's surprise, he returned the kiss and when she felt his hand graze her cheek, she didn't want to stop. The last time she felt this good about herself was when she was first with Hayden, it couldn't have been a coincidence; he was good for her, he was what she needed to keep herself from veering off the edge again. When he broke away from the caress, he placed his forehead against hers and moved his hand around to the back of her neck.

"I think we should call it a day before things get crazy." When he noticed her frown slightly, he pecked her one last time. "I want to take you on a proper date and get to know you all over again. I'm not going to mess up this second chance."

She nodded and tucked her brunette hair behind her ear. "I would love to go on a date with you, but I think you should pick the location next time."

"Doesn't matter about where we go, as long as you're with me, then anywhere is perfect."

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for reading this story, now that I've finished one that I've been working on for years I can focus on this story. I'm really enjoying writing this and I have a lot of plans for this story, I'm hoping it'll be a long one that has a lot of quality content. I encourage constructive criticism and as chapters progress, I am open to including things that the readers want to see happen. Again, thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

This was his second chance at a life, what Stefan wished to be a happy and fulfilled life; when a proposition dangles in front of him, why should he not accept it? Hazel was the proposition that fate had dealt him, perhaps she could be the one for him to settle down with. She was an attractive woman with doe like features, tall and slender with a waterfall of blonde locks. As he sat and weighed up his options, it was hard for his own inner saboteur to convince him not to go for a drink with this sultry woman. Hazel gave him her number for a reason, she was attracted to him as much as he was to her.

"I have to admit, I didn't think I'd be out drinking on a Wednesday night," Hazel said as she sipped her apple martini slowly, "I just hope the hangover in the morning will be worth it."

"I promised you a night of drinks and as per your request, dancing," Stefan scratched at the back of his head with a sheepish smirk, "even though I hate dancing."

"Hate is a very strong word, perhaps you've just had the wrong partners." She rested her fingers on his knuckles, watching as his greenish eyes darted to hers. "How about this, once we've had a couple more drinks, we'll have a couple of dances at a nightclub down the street and then we can do something that is up your alley. Does that sound fair?"

He took a sip from his bourbon and threw a quick nod in Hazel's direction. When she mimed a celebration, he couldn't help but laugh; this woman had an amazing sense of humour. "Okay, okay… I'll dance at a nightclub, you've won me over."

"I always win, you'll slowly discover that." She leaned into her seat, crossing one leg over the other with a look of victory skimming her face. "Once you're at the club, all you'll want to do is dance."

"I'll have to take your word for it."

* * *

There was nothing appealing about the club Hazel had picked, he could see why anyone would enjoy a room full of sweaty people knocking into each other and the lines for the bar were longer than the lines for the toilets. Long gone were the days of dancing at a Miss Mystic Falls pageant or having a quite drink at the Grill; Stefan missed most of the things from his old life, but he was in Clearhollow now embarking on a chance of happiness and if Hazel thought this would make him happy, then he would have to try it.

He watched her sway back and forth, her head moving to the beat of the electronic song. Stefan tried his best to keep up with her, but he could tell that underneath the modest exterior, there was a wild side to Hazel. She kept one arm draped around his shoulders and the other raised in the air as she closed her eyes with a smile. Stefan kept a firm grip on her waist as he thought about what Damon would do in this sort of situation, after all, this was probably something he divulged in plenty of times. He let go of the fear of embarrassment and rejection and let his wild side loose; the bourbon at the bar helped with that partly. As the songs shifted from one dance beat to the other, the two got closer and closer until Hazel plucked up the courage to plant a kiss on him, both hands locked onto his cheeks and her body pressed against his. He held her close, his fingers tangled in her platinum hair as she deepened their kiss.

* * *

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur but when Stefan woke up and looked to his left, he was greeted by her satisfied smile and the feeling of her soft hand on his chest. He rolled onto his side and positioned his arm underneath the pillow, looking over her face in the natural light. He couldn't deny how stunning he thought she was; Hazel wasn't the worst sight to wake up to in the morning.

"You slept well." She commented.

"You tired me out, it's been a while since I've woke up to a woman in my bed."

"Well, maybe we can do this again sometime, if you need someone to help you sleep better at night?" she coyly raised her brow as she rested her head back onto her pillow.

"Next time, we're doing something that's up my alley, it's only fair."

She nodded, her teeth gripping her bottom lip. "You're right, it's only fair. Do you mind if I go into your kitchen and make us both a cup of coffee before I dart off?"

He shook his head and watched her slink out of the bed, grabbing something to cover her body with as she left the room. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling with a grin on his face, he could easily get used to this way of life.

* * *

 _A few weeks later…_

It was her big day, if this interview went well then, she would be starting her own second chance on the right foot. A monthly income would help her claw out of the hole that Jason left her buried in and it would put the four years of college that she suffered through to good use. Madison played with the fabric of the blouse, untucking it slightly from her sleek pencil skirt as she primped herself in the mirror. She jumped a little when her father knocked on her bedroom door and stepped in with a cup of coffee in his hand. She turned to him with her hands on her hips and a nervous smile across her lips.

"Do I look interview ready?"

"You look very beautiful and smart, definitely smart." He handed her over the coffee and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember, think before you speak; these lawyers are all hotshots that are looking for anyway to outsmart you."

"Dad, you do know that one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, that I'm going to be one of those hotshot lawyers that you love to complain about."

"Yeah, but you won't buy one of those flashy loud cars that they all like to drive?"

"A Ferrari would be great to drive." She joked as she pressed the cup to her lip. "If all goes well, remind me to thank Mitch. He's really done me a huge favour with this interview."

"From what he said to me on the phone, this will be an easy interview for you, the job's as good as yours."

"Unless I crash and burn as I tend to do." She set her cup on her dresser and moved to the edge of her bed, pulling out a pair of heels from underneath.

"Don't say that, you've been doing well since you came home. I have every piece of faith that you're going to come home with a brand-new job."

She strapped herself into her shoes and looked up at her father; he couldn't help but look at her with a sense of pride and it had been a very long time since she saw him stare at her like that. Madison couldn't let him down, she had to ace this interview and stop him from worrying about her.

* * *

The office was a couple of miles out of town and Madison didn't hate the drive all that much, in fact she was pleased that she potentially wasn't going to be living and working in Clearhollow; the town was growing on her but not that much. She parked outside and waited in the reception for Mitch's associate to come and get her and as the long wait became longer, she was starting to doubt herself and her capabilities of doing important work for a busy lawyer. She was almost about to walk out of the office as her panic set in, but she heard a voice call out her name.

"Miss Rodgers?"

She turned around and came face to face with Mr Dorian Lamont, the man that she wanted to take a chance on her. Madison could tell that he was in his late thirties and by the look of his skin, he enjoyed using the sunbeds or hot holidays a little too much because as she got closer to him, she could see fine lines appearing around his grey eyes. She shook his eyes and tried to smile as pleasantly as possible.

"Mr Lamont, thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, I'm sure you're a very busy man."

"All the more reason to interview for someone to help me with the mountain of paperwork I have." He led her towards an elevator and looked at her with a small smile as they waited for the door to open. "And please, call me Dorian. Your brother, Mitch has promised me the world with you, if all he says is true, then I'm sure you're the perfect candidate for me."

"I hope so, but I warn you that my brother can have an active imagination at times."

When the doors opened, he ushered her inside and pressed the button for the top floor and wagged his brow at her. "Give yourself a little more credit, I've read your resume; a NYU graduate with outstanding grades, I've really hit the jackpot with you."

"Thank you, Dorian." She hated receiving compliments, she never knew how to handle them; all she could do was blush and look away from Mr Lamont, but his stare lingered.

"How come you haven't tried to pass the bar?"

She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and kept her eyes to the floor. Her nervousness was starting to set in. "I don't think I'm ready yet to step into a court room. Don't get me wrong, I love to debate and fight my case but I'm still young and I want more experience before I become a lawyer."

He nodded, impressed by her willingness to develop; he was caught off guard, most people dived head first and tried to learn as they go. He could tell that she wanted to be the best of the best. He led her through the lobby of his office where his own receptionist sat and just behind her were two large mahogany doors that contained Dorian's haven. It was where he spent most of his nights, reading over facts and practicing his lectures. He let her enter his world and gave her the chance to take in her surroundings. He sat behind his desk and waved his hand for her to sit in front of him. Dorian kept his eye on her as he leaned back into his tall chair.

"What I'm looking for, is someone who I can trust and who can take in all the facts. How good are you at reciting information?"

"I'm excellent, I can learn a two-thousand-word debate and dictate it back, word perfect. In school I was one of the most well received and in college I scored the highest in my class in constructive arguments."

"And what about confidentiality, can I trust you to be able to stay tight lipped about my cases?"

"Of course, I can be very confidential."

"Are you willing to stay behind for late nights in preparation for court cases?"

"I'm willing to work right through the night if it means that you're able to present perfect arguments."

"I must admit, I was impressed by the resume you sent me but I'm even more impressed by you as a person; you seem like a dedicated, hardworking woman and you're exactly what I've been looking for… What I need." He leaned forward, onto his desk with his elbows propping him up. "I want to offer you a place here on a temporary contract, once you prove that you can deliver what you promise, I'll make your position permanent. What do you say?"

She grinned and felt a wave of relief rush through her. "I accept, thank you so much, Dorian. I won't let you down."

"I'm counting on you, kid. You start on Monday morning, so don't be late."

* * *

' _Hey, are you busy today? I've got exciting news to share!'_

' _Hi no I'm not busy. Where do you want to meet?'_

' _Are you at home?'_

' _Yeah. Swing by if you want.'_

' _Be there soon!'_

* * *

When Stefan opened the door, he saw Madison with a huge grin on her face and for the first time, he saw what he assumed to be the real her shining through. With the happiness bubbling inside her, she couldn't help but throw her arms around Stefan's neck and hug him tightly. She felt his arms wrap loosely around her but gradually, his grip on her became snug. It was comforting for them both; they needed a friend.

"So, what's your good news?" he said when she finally let go of him. He waved her into the kitchen and slid a can of root beer over to her.

She popped it open and held her can proudly in the air. "You, my friend, are looking at an employed woman."

He raised his brows and nodded with a smirk. "You didn't tell me you were going for a job."

"Well, we've both been busy for the past couple of days, you've got your mystery girl and I've got Hayden keeping me busy."

"Point taken. Are you going to tell me what you're going to be working as or are you leaving that to my imagination?"

"I'm going to be working with a lawyer that my brother is friendly with. Basically, I'm going to help him prepare for cases and do paperwork."

"A flashy job," he tilted his can towards her as if he was toasting her, "well done, Maddie."

"You're calling me by a nickname?" the corners of her mouth twitched a little as she realised that they were becoming actual friends instead of two strangers trying to make a friendship happen.

"Yeah, it suits you."

"My dad calls me Maddie too, speaking of my dad, he'd like to meet you. He thinks you could be a kidnapper."

Stefan screwed up his face as he took a sip of the sickly-sweet soda. "Who would want to kidnap you? They'd get annoyed by your complaining."

"That's what I said too! I guess he's just being a protective father."

"I'd like to meet him too, just to put his doubts to rest."

"Here's an idea, I'll throw a party to celebrate this momentous occasion; you can meet my dad and Hayden, then I'll be able to meet your soon to be girlfriend."

"Soon to be girlfriend?"

"I haven't saw you in a week and you're starting to grow a beard; I can tell when someone's spending more time in bed than out of it." She shrugged a little and smirked. "Am I wrong?"

He rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "Fine, I'll bring her. Just go easy on her, okay? It's still very early days."

"The four of us could double date before the party so there's no awkwardness." Madison was letting her excitement get the better of her and she was going to regret it. "It's early days for Hayden and me too, we're not official yet but we're so close to working out our problems."

"There is no way that I can talk you out of this idea, is there?"

She shook her head and finished off her root beer. "Oh god no. I'll text you the details, I've got to go spread my good news."

* * *

Apart from Stefan, Madison was eager to tell her father about her new job; to see the pride on his face would be the validation she needed after years of isolation and disappointment. This was her road to redemption and she was determined to stick to the straight and narrow. When she came home, Mitch was waiting as well, a nervous look on his face; it was clear that Dorian had no plans on filling his associate in on Madison's progress.

"Well?" Mitch got onto his feet, his eyes clinging onto Madison's face. "How did it go?"

"I think you're more invested into this than I am." Their father said as he moved forward in his seat, teetering on the edge of the cushion.

Madison saw her moment to have her fun and dropped her bag exhaustedly onto the floor. She ran her fingers through her hair, gripping at the root. "He said that he would call me tomorrow after he had some time to think about it."

"What? Your degree should've assured your place at his firm!" Mitch exclaimed, devastation crossing his face.

"Give me his number, Mitch. I'm calling him right away." When he moved to get off his chair, Madison jogged over to him, crouching down to his level and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"There's no need because I'm only messing with you two," she glanced over her shoulder with a smile, "he gave me to job."

Mitch placed his hands over his face in relief, shaking his head as he stared at his younger sister. "You are such a bitch."

Madison laughed and looked back at her father for that look of pride she had been waiting for. "I'm starting to do something with my life, dad."

He placed his hand on the back of her head and pecked her forehead. "I'm so happy for you, Maddie."

"I'm going to throw a party to celebrate, my life is changing for the better; I've got your support," she looked from her father to her brother, "I have you back in my life and I've got Hayden and Stefan; things are looking up for me."

"Now all you need is to apologise to Maria, and you've come full circle."

She paused for a moment as she reflected on his words, she didn't need to apologise to Maria. If anything, Maria had to apologise to her. As Madison slowly got back onto her feet, Mitch realised how seriously she had taken his words.

"You think that I should apologise?" Their father tried to diffuse the situation, but Madison put her hand up to silence him. "Do you remember what she said to me?"

"Listen, just forget about what I said and let's celebrate your success." He stepped towards her, hoping she would just drop it. But this was Madison, she wasn't going to do that.

"Maria told me that I was never going to amount to anything, that I was scum and wasn't good enough to be her bridesmaid, and this was before I even left for New York. This was me in my hay day. Her only sister wasn't going to be a bridesmaid because I wasn't accomplished enough at eighteen."

"I think what Mitch was trying to say was, maybe the two of you should bury the hatchet?"

"I'll think about it, when she apologises to my face." Madison put her hands over her face for a moment, taking a breather from the situation. "I don't want to be angry with you, because we just repaired our relationship," she looked at Mitch and shrugged her shoulders a little, "so, I think it's best if I just go up to my room before I say something that'll ruin what we've got."

Mitch watched her as she walked up the stairs and listened to her bedroom door close behind her. He let out a breath and threw himself into a chair. "I wasn't expecting that."

"She's growing up, the old Madison would've cussed at you and probably threw a punch in your direction."

"That's what I'm talking about, I was preparing for a punch as soon as I saw that look on her face. I need to speak to Maria and get her to put this feud to bed. Only thing is, she's almost as stubborn as Madison."

"This is why I try to stay out of this, daughters are too crazy."

* * *

Hayden and Madison were the first couple to arrive at the restaurant and they took their time alone to get a head start with their drinks. It was hard for Madison to take her eyes off Hayden, she was starting to fall back into that lull they were in during their high school days, and she didn't hate it. If anything, she was surprised by how quickly it took for them to fall into old habits; this time she didn't have the title to go with it. She noticed that Hayden's eyes had drifted away from her and as she followed his line of sight, she saw Stefan, hand in hand with Hazel Kavanaugh.

"Hayden and Madison, well aren't the two of you a blast from the past." She said with a smirk as Stefan pulled her chair out for her.

"You all know each other?" Stefan said as he lowered himself into his own chair. He could tell by Madison's face that they weren't friends.

"Madison, Hayden and I used to be friends in school."

Madison rolled her eyes and took a long sip of wine as she tried her hardest to stay seated and not choke Hazel to death.

"I haven't saw you in ages, how have you been?" Hayden was still on good terms with Hazel, unlike Madison, he didn't have a reason to dislike her.

"I've been good, lately if I'm not working, I'm with Stefan."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't introduce myself, I'm Hayden." He leaned across the table and shook Stefan's hand firmly. "How do you know Madison, then?"

"We're friends." Madison said as she looked at Stefan with a pout.

"She was the first person I met here, she kept me from getting stir crazy."

"Madison's always been a sweetheart. What _have_ you been doing with yourself since you returned?" Hazel rested her head on her hand and watched her ex-friend intensely.

"Well, as you probably know I came home because my mum died."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It was hard not to hear, it was in every newspaper in this town." Madison quipped with a scowl.

"Madison's actually got herself an amazing job, didn't you?" Stefan tried to diffuse the awkwardness, but it was just adding fuel to the fire.

"You didn't tell me that you went for a job."

Madison looked up at Hayden, her brows furrowed. "I told you as soon as Mitch set up the interview, don't you remember?"

"The one with the lawyer?"

"Yeah, I got the job." She smiled slightly, glancing at Hazel as she watched everything unfold. She was wanting a fight to break out between them.

"It must've slipped my mind with all the late training nights, congrats Mads." He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him as he placed a kiss on her lips.

"Where are the waiters in this place?" Hazel said under her breath as she looked at Stefan with a slight smile. "Aren't you hungry?"

"They probably didn't realise you two came in." Hayden explained as he waved a waiter over. "We did tell them to wait until you arrived."

"Hmm, I see." Hazel said in a high tone as she placed her hand over Stefan's.

He was having a hard time figuring out if this was her true personality underneath the prim and proper exterior or if seeing Madison for the first time in years had threw her off guard. He needed to give her some time to settle in and hopefully return to the girl that he was starting to have feelings for.

* * *

The night got a little less tense as the food and wine were served; although, any time Stefan and Hayden engaged in conversation, they were the only two that spoke. Whatever happened between Hazel and Madison was bad and he wanted to know what it was. If Hazel was a horrible person, he needed to know before he got in too deep. He saw his opportunity to find out more when Madison excused herself and made her way to the smoking area.

"I'm going to go too, I need a bit of fresh air." He said as he got out of his chair.

"Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to go with you?" Hazel sounded concerned and she kept her eyes on his face.

"I'm fine, stay with Hayden and catch up." He kissed her on the top of the head and followed Madison's path out of the restaurant. When he got outside, he frowned a little as he watched his friend sink into her own bad thoughts. He could tell that she was over analysing everything that was said or done during dinner, her face gave it away.

"Stefan, what are you doing out here?" she said as she made room for him to sit.

"Is everything okay?" he clasped his hands and stared into her eyes, watching her iris' dart back and forth. "Did something go on with you and Hazel? I need to know before I get in too deep, since Caroline and I broke up, I've been very sensitive, and I don't want my heart broke again."

Madison sighed and flicked her cigarette away before turning to her friend. "I'm sure Hazel has been lovely and supportive to you and that's what you need. But, from my own personal experiences with Hazel fucking Kavanaugh, I would've told you to stay well away from her."

"What happened?"

"She ruined my prom; it was supposed to be my perfect night with Hayden because we were nominated for prom king and queen. Now, we used to be best friends and we had sleepovers and told each other secrets, she helped me pick my prom dress. She convinced me to wear white because Hayden was going to wear a white suit. Little did I know, she wanted prom queen and she wanted Hayden, so when she got me by myself, she threw her punch over me and stained my dress."

Stefan looked towards the restaurant, wondering if Hazel was still the same girl that Madison knew four years ago. "Has she ever apologised?"

"No, I never spoke to her again until tonight. Listen, don't tell Hayden what I told you, he has no idea and she was there for him when his sister disappeared." She placed her hand over Stefan's and looked down at the floor. "I just don't want to see him hurt."

He nodded in agreement, he wouldn't say anything until he had Hazel alone. His opinion of her had changed slightly, but there had to be good there too; she had been nothing but an angel to him. "I'll keep this to myself. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I guess I'm not over our friendship crumbling. Apart from my other friend, Lucy, she was the only girl I had in my corner." Madison got onto her feet and fixed her dress. "That's why it hurt so much. We better get back in there before our dates think we've ran off." She smiled slightly as she followed Stefan back into the restaurant; she only went back in for Hayden.

* * *

 **A:N So, I tried to put face claims on my profile for the characters in this story but it didn't work; but I will try again. If I had to pick an actress to play Madison, it would be Lily Collins. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

After his conversation with Madison about his date, Stefan just wanted to be alone but all of Hazel's things were at his place; they had planned for Hazel to spend the night and he didn't want to cancel it because of a couple of slight doubts he had. Stefan wanted this relationship to work, it had been the first time he felt like a normal person in a long time and it was down to his growing feelings for this woman. He had been so quiet in the cab home that she could pick up straightaway that something was wrong. She hadn't been with him that long but she could tell that something was going through his mind. Hazel followed him into his house silently, worrying about all the things that could go wrong; what if he realised that he didn't want to do this anymore or did Madison say something to make him change his mind? She would have to awkwardly pack up her over night bag and go to her lonely apartment with the stray cat that may or may not be at her window.

"What's got you so quiet?" she was trying to play off her insecurities, hoping that she would come across as light and breezy but when Stefan looked at her face, she could tell that she wasn't coming off like that.

"I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me. I'm at the point of my life where I want to cut out the crap; I'm a divorcee and I don't want another relationship to crash and burn." He couldn't tell her that he had insecurities of his own; his brother did take Elena from him and although he was over it, his mind still played tricks on him, especially with this new relationship. He didn't want to compete with another man for Hazel's affection.

Hazel approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder expecting that it would give him some comfort. "I promise that I'll answer whatever you ask me honestly, from now until we part."

He nodded and waved for her to take a seat, he took the spot across from her and kept his gaze to the floor. "Did you try to steal Hayden away from Madison in high school or is Madison making up everything she remembers about you?"

She felt the question was coming, Stefan had been acting strange around her when he returned with Madison, but she was still shocked that he had the gull to ask her outright. "Yes, but you must understand that it was high school, and I've changed a lot since then, I've grew up and became a better version of myself. I was so plagued by insecurities as most teenage girls are, and I did a lot of nasty things to hide that, like pouring the punch over Madison so that I could win prom queen." She smiled sadly and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, keeping her hand there for a moment. "I thought that if I won and I got that dance with him, that he might develop feelings for me. I was so naïve to think that, and I know that it was wrong."

He felt a slight twinge of relief, it gave him some clarity when it came to Hazel, but he wasn't finished with her; if she was going to be spending more time around Madison and Hayden, he needed to know one last thing. "I know you had feelings for Hayden, and you've remained close after high school… Are those feelings still there?"

She reached across, taking Stefan's hand into hers. "Of course not, I helped him through the disappearance of Jayda because we were friends. There are no romantic feelings between us. The only person I have feelings for is you."

Stefan scratched the back of his head with his free hand, he felt dumb for asking that question, but he had to have his mind at ease if he was going to continue with Hazel. "I have feelings for you too, Hazel, but if this is going to work, I need you and Madison to quit getting at each other, leave everything that happened in high school in the past. I don't want to have to choose between the two of you."

"Listen, I'll clear the air with her and put all this uneasiness to bed."

"You'll have that chance soon, she's throwing a party this weekend to celebrate her new job and I want to bring you as my date."

"I would like that," she ducked her head and clasped her hands together, "now, if you don't mind, I'm going to use your shower and get ready for bed." She got onto her feet and stepped away from him, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Care to join me?"

He slapped his knees as he got out of his chair. "How could I turn that down?"

* * *

She had snuck Hayden into her father's house, just like she did many times throughout high school; this time though, she didn't have to worry about his scornful look. Madison was an adult now and she knew that her father would treat her as such.

"This place hasn't really changed a bit." He whispered with a smirk as he looked around the living room.

"Wait until you see my room, all those Nirvana posters are well and truly gone."

"Good, because I don't fancy making eye contact with Kurt when I wake up." He wrapped his arms around her waist as she led him up the stair case.

Before they could reach the top, the lights switched on and Hayden came face to face with Madison's father. He felt like he was seventeen again but then her father smiled and extended his hand towards Hayden as he quickly let go of Madison.

"Mr Carter, it's a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for the flowers that you left at the wake."

"It was no bother at all Mr Rodgers." He took his hand, shaking it tightly.

"Call me Bobby. Should I expect to see you at breakfast?" he looked at his daughter and then to Hayden.

Hayden watched Madison from the corner of his eye and nodded with a smile. "If you don't mind that is."

"Of course, I don't," Bobby turned to return back to his room, "just try to keep the noise down, alright?"

Madison leaned against the cold wall as she felt her cheeks flush out of embarrassment. She looked at Hayden as he placed his hands on her jawline and kissed her as quietly as he could. She looked towards her door and raised a brow.

"Still want to stay the night?"

"Well your father is expecting me at breakfast, Mads." He teased her with another kiss, this time more passionate and longing before he allowed her to pull him into her bedroom.

* * *

He held her close to his side, glancing down at her as she curled up to get more heat from his body; he had missed this Madison, the girl that cared about him. The girl she became when she moved to New York City couldn't hold a candle to the real her. Hayden couldn't help but smile when she looked up at him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes tired.

"What are you thinking about?" she placed a kiss on his chest before placing her head on that spot comfortably.

"I'm just thinking about you." He admitted.

"Oh, really? Do share." She bit her lip and rolled her eyes towards his gaze.

"I've missed this, I've missed you. You have no idea how long it took for me to get over you, Mads."

She kissed his chest delicately and lay her head on him as she took his hand. "I wasn't myself when I was in New York, I don't know what happened to me and I'm going to be honest, most of it was a blur." She looked up at him, noticing the concern all over his face. "But I'm back to reality, I'm back home and I'm safe. That's all that matters."

He watched her get out of bed and from the corner of his eye, he spotted a mark between her shoulder and her neck; he hadn't seen it before, probably because she always wore her hair down but as she moved her hair to one side, the mark was visible. He sat up and took a closer look, was that a bite mark? He didn't bite her, and it wasn't recent. It was a scar, he could tell by the way the skin glistened ever so slightly.

"Mads?" he said quietly.

When she looked at him and realised where his eye line was going, she put her night dress on quickly and repositioned her hair. "Yeah?"

"What the hell happened to you in New York?"

* * *

She bit her lip and shook her head as she gripped onto her sides. The one thing that Madison struggled with the most was the fact that she couldn't piece together her whole relationship with Jason, she remembered his face and the basics of their relationship and his running act. Madison put it down to the partying lifestyle she indulged in during her time at college but deep down, she knew that it wasn't because of the drinking. Something else had to have happened.

"Honestly?" she could feel her eyes well up and as she looked at Hayden, she wished she had the answer to his question. But she didn't. "I have no idea."

He got out of the bed and rushed to her side, watching as she crumbled before his eyes. As he held her close to him, he could feel how fast her heart was beating. "I'm sorry for asking, Mads. Just relax and try to breathe."

"I don't remember it happening, but I remember the day I found the scar." Madison gasped for air as she broke from his embrace and got back onto her feet. "It was a month or two after Jason disappeared, I was supposed to be going to this graduation party and I had a spray tan," she walked over to the standing mirror that her father had placed in the corner of the room. Madison stared at her reflection as if she had stepped back into that tiny apartment in the city, "my hair was just done and up and I turned to the side and noticed a white patch. I was ready to call the salon and complain but then I took a closer look. I don't recall him biting me…"

Hayden raised a brow as she zoned out, he was worried about her and by her expression, he could see that she was too. He waved her back over to the bed and eased her back onto her pillow. With a peck on the side of her head, he whispered in her ear, "Get some sleep and if you want to talk about it in the morning, then I'll be a supportive listener."

Madison squeezed her eyes shut as she racked her brain for those memories, but she kept coming up blank. They had to be there, somewhere in her mind.

* * *

There was a lot of noise from downstairs and when Madison woke up, she was alone in her room. She half expected Hayden to have run off on her and she wouldn't have blamed him; she let her guard slip and broke down in front of him. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to pick up the pieces but when she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see her father and Hayden, sitting at the table chatting. Her eyes darted to the two plates of breakfast in front of them and the one on the counter, waiting for her.

"Ah, there you are." Bobby got out of his seat and moved the plate from the counter to the table.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." Hayden smiled sympathetically at her and nodded to the empty chair beside him. Once she was by his side, he poured her a glass of orange juice.

"What is going on here?" she said gently as she cut up her sausages and bacon.

"Breakfast, why what did you think this was, Maddie?" her father picked up his newspaper and started to skim the pages.

"I don't know, I didn't think you were serious when you mentioned breakfast." She admitted as she looked between the two men.

"We have breakfast together every morning, do you really think I'd change that because Hayden's here? He's a welcomed guest."

"This is so strange," she half laughed as she spoke and looked up at Hayden, "I thought you did a runner."

"I wouldn't do that, Mads. You know me better than that."

"Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?" Bobby looked at Madison from over the paper with a raised brow.

She shook her head and settled into her chair. "No, I like this. I like having the both of you here."

When she took her eyes away from them and looked down at her plate, the two men exchanged a look. Hayden had to tell her father about the mark on her, he didn't feel right keeping it to himself. If anyone cared about her as much as he did, it was Bobby Rodgers.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay last night, I hope my curiosity didn't put you off me." He kept a hold of her hand as he stood on her porch, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

"No, it didn't. I know that you asked it because you care. It's one thing that I'm sure of when it comes to you, you've always cared, and I appreciate that."

"Well, the next time I see you, promise me that it'll just be the two of us? The double date was fun and all, but I'm interested in spending time with you and only you."

His comment validated what she already knew about Hayden, he was a good guy and she was a fool to break things off with him. She should've cared a little more when he cut contact with her and she wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"I promise, it'll be the two of us."

He closed the distance between them and smiled against her lips as he kissed her goodbye. When he pulled away from her, he cupped her face in his hands and rested his head on hers. "I'll call you tonight when I get back from work."

"No, I'll meet you after work and we'll do something fun. We need a little more fun in our lives."

"Sounds like a plan, Mads. I'll see you later then."

When he went to walk away, she gripped him by the arm and spun him around. Madison wanted him, she wanted everything that came with Hayden. He was familiar and he knew almost everything about her; she needed to cement things with him.

"Hayden, I want to put a label on us because I know that I don't want anyone else. What do you say, can we get back together?"

"Yes Mads and we'll make it work this time."

* * *

After a late night and a very early start, Stefan wasn't thrilled about getting back to the grind. He had so many appointments lined up at Joe's and he knew that he wasn't going to get out of the garage before it got dark. Since he regained his humanity, nothing hurt him more than the exhaustion and part of him wished that he still had the ability to function without a full night's sleep. He sipped on his third cup of coffee and finished up his first car of the day, handing the keys back over to the owner before he took a well-deserved break. He had just sat down when he heard someone walk into the garage and with a grimace, he got up to investigate the source.

"Madison," he let out a sigh of relief as he set his cup on a box of tools, "what brings you here?"

"Well, I remembered what time you usually take your break and thought I'd visit you in person instead of texting you, while I still have the chance." She took a small bag out from her purse and handed it towards him.

He pulled one of the small buns out with a grin. "Because you and I both know that when you start on Monday, you're going to be a busy woman."

"Exactly." She looked around the garage and found a clean stool to sit on.

"I had a talk with Hazel last night," he watched all the emotions that crossed Madison's face before taking a swat himself, "just to get to the bottom of everything. She wants to put everything behind her, and I want you to do the same."

Madison could see how serious Stefan looked and she felt like she couldn't deny his request without insulting him. "I'll try, that's all I can do."

"Know that she's going to be trying to, it might be bumpy but that'll be okay. I'm not expecting the two of you to be best friends again, but I don't want to have to pick between you and Hazel, you know?"

Madison nodded and crossed one leg over the other. Had she have known who Stefan was dating, she never would've organised that double date, now it was biting her in the ass. "I get it, if you and Hayden were in the same boat, I'd ask the same of you."

"I just need this to work, Madison. I haven't dated since Caroline and I miss having someone to share my life with." He had been real with Madison since they got rid of the second rule, but this was the first time he had opened up to her about his feelings; she knew about his divorce, not fully but she knew about the sadness he was hiding day to day.

"For you, I'll make up with Hazel and for myself, I'll let go of the past." She smiled slightly and rested her hands on her knees. "You're my friend, I'd do anything to help you out."

"Thank you, Maddie."

She didn't expect for him to call her by a nickname, she wasn't sure if Stefan saw their friendship the same way she did but now it was confirmed; they were on the same wave length.

"I guess I'll let you enjoy the rest of your break in peace," she picked up her purse and got onto her feet, "I'll see you, Saturday night."

"I can't wait to celebrate your new job," he walked her towards the roller doors, his hand rested between her shoulder blades, "are you feeling nervous about your new job?"

"Yes and no, I know I'm going to kill it but it's whether or not Mr Lamont and I work well as a team. We'll see how it goes. I'll obviously keep you updated."

"Obviously." He chuckled. "Let me know when you get home and I'll catch you at the party." He watched her walk down the street before closing the roller door over; he was dreading having the Hazel conversation with Madison, but she surprised him and took it like an adult.

* * *

The house was full when Madison returned, Mitch had come around and he brought an unexpected visitor. She almost choked when she saw Maria sitting beside their father, her hand clinging to his for dear life. Everyone was looking at her and then she heard a crash in the kitchen and the childish voices of her nieces and nephews.

"I'll go see what's happened with the rugrats." Maria said as she got up hastily. Before anyone could protest, she was out of the living room in a flash.

Madison stared at Mitch as she dropped her bag onto the floor, he couldn't bring his eyes up to meet hers. "You could've told me that she was here."

"Would you have come home if I did that?"

"Probably not." Madison sat at the far end of the room and folded her arms across her chest.

"I want to see this family back together again, Maddie. I know you and your sister haven't always seen eye to eye, but it would bring me joy to spend holidays with my kids and my grandkids without everyone being at each other's throats." Bobby was speaking from his heart and he wanted it to resonate with his youngest.

When Maria came back into the room, everyone went deadly silent. "Timothy and Rae made a little bit of mess in your kitchen, daddy." She said sweetly as she returned to her spot beside her father. "I'll clean it before I go."

"Don't worry about it, I've never cried over a bit of mess."

"So, are you here to apologise or what?" Madison cut in, her stare turning to Maria. She couldn't help but smirk when Maria turned to her.

"Me? Apologise for what, exactly?"

"Maddie." Mitch looked at his younger sister, his head shaking slowly.

"You know what, Maria. Pull your head out of your ass."

"See, this is why I didn't want to come here." Maria looked to their father for his agreement, but she didn't get it.

"I have tried so hard to turn my life around and become the adult that I should be," she tilted her head back and pursed her lips together for a moment, "and trust me, I am resisting the urge to get up from this chair and slap that smug look from your face, Maria," when her sister tried to interject, Madison held her index finger up in the air and turned her venomous gaze back to Maria's face, "and the only reason I won't is because of those children in that kitchen. So, unless you've came here to make amends like Mitch and I have, I suggest that one of us leaves and it won't be me because I live here."

"When I told you how well Madison's done, you said that you were going to say that you were sorry. Your words to me were that you wanted to know this new Madison." Mitch was starting to get annoyed with his older sibling and he was starting to hear what Madison had been preaching for years.

Maria tipped her head back and swiped the hair from her shoulder with her manicured hand. "I didn't expect it to be so hard to be in a room with her, Mitchie. I'm getting a lot of negative energy from her and it's not sitting well with me."

"Do you want to know what hasn't sat well with me? What you said all those years ago, that I would amount to nothing? Well, here I am getting my shit together, a law degree under my belt and a new career. Tell me what you've got going for you except for those three beautiful kids in that kitchen?" Madison sat forward in her chair, her elbows leaning on her lap.

* * *

Mitch's jaw dropped, not out of shock but out of the slight entertainment he was getting from watching Madison laying Maria out to dry. Bobby didn't want to get involved, but he felt like he should at least try to diffuse the tension before someone's feelings got hurt. That was before Maria got onto her feet and turned everything into a melodrama.

"I am pregnant, and I don't need this stress right now, okay Madison? I'm sorry for feelings got hurt because I didn't pick you to be a bridesmaid but guess what? It was my day and I didn't want you trying to steal my spotlight."

"Maria, sit down and calm yourself." Their father warned and as soon as he did, Maria returned to her seat.

"Is that your way of apologising to me? Because if it was, that was woeful."

"What do you want me to say?

"I think you should be a bit more heartfelt than that, Maria." Mitch was trying to stay neutral, but it was growing more and more difficult as Maria kept getting louder.

Maria read the room and she could tell that no one was taking her side. She looked at Madison and let out an exasperated sigh. "I apologise Madison, I was just trying to show you that you were going down a dark path, I mean once you fell out with that girl you used to hang around with, you started getting into more and more trouble and then look what happened to you in New York, you actually got into trouble. I'm sorry for trying to be a good big sister to you, in my own way."

"You were pregnant at sixteen, so it was a little bit rich for you of all people to lecture me about staying out of trouble." Madison knew it was a low blow to deal, but Maria had thrown one her way when she tried to make an example out of New York when she didn't know the full story.

"Oh shit." Mitch breathed out as he gripped onto the side of the sofa, he was expecting to have to break up a cat fight, but for a change, Maria didn't try to defend herself.

"You're right but I wouldn't change Alex for the world and luckily, I managed to stay with Richard and got married to him, but I didn't want you to have the same life as me. I wanted you to study and have the chance to have a fulfilling career. I wanted to go to college and become a teacher, but I had to live vicariously through Richard and watch him thrive while I stayed at home with our child." Maria's tone had changed, and she was speaking to Madison as if they were sisters. "I was scared for you, you started partying and I worried that you wouldn't make it to college. When I heard about New York and that guy you were living with, I thought you were going to end up dead. I am so angry at you because you acted like you were entitled and you're still acting like that because you think that I'm in the wrong. I partly am but so are you."

She took a while to think about the things Maria had said and as she remembered her teenage years, having her sister around more frequently than what she was now, Madison was usually the cause of all their arguments; most of them while she was drunk and home from a party. Madison couldn't help but feel guilty for keeping her estranged for years.

"I'm sorry, Maria. I didn't realise that's how I was behaving but I hope that we can move forward and be active in each other's lives. If you accept, I'd love to have you and Richard at the party on Saturday."

Maria smiled genuinely for the first time since Madison arrived. "I'll have to think about the party invitation, but I accept your apology."

"I think the two of you should hug this out, Mitch and I will tend to the mess in the kitchen." Their father said as he pulled Mitch up from the sofa. He needed to give his two daughters their moment to heal. He wanted to be there to see them move forward, but that wasn't what they needed, they needed their privacy.

* * *

 **A:N So this is the last stop on the apology train, I promise. I'm planning a big twist for the next couple of chapters which is going to pull Stefan into the spotlight a lot more than what he has been. This is going to be a long story, so if that's what you're into, I hope you stick with me and enjoy this as much as I do writing it. I'm working hard on putting as much detail and good content into this as possible so if anything is wrong with it, please tell me. Hopefully you come back for the next chapters, thank you for reading and I encourage you to get involved. Tell me what you think about the characters, who you like and don't like.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

There were too many choices, but she had narrowed them down to two dresses; a red one and a black one. She lay them on her bed, gazing at them for a moment before she moved into her bathroom, switching the shower on. The floorboards in her bedroom creaked but she ignored it, it was probably Hayden fetching something from her room. Since they became serious about mending their relationship, he had spent more time at her father's house. Madison was glad to see it, she wanted the two most important men in her life to get along.

The warm water on her skin felt so good and as the soapy liquid melted into her skin, it washed away any uneasiness she was feeling about this party; her whole family was going to be together after fixing the problems between Madison and her siblings but she wasn't just worrying about Maria and Mitch, she also had to deal with Hazel again. They had to move on for Stefan's sake, nobody wanted their friends and their partners to hate each other; Madison just had to wait and see who was more concerned about Stefan's happiness.

As soon as she got out of the shower, she looked at the fogged-up mirror and noticed a message left for her, 'see you tonight'. She hadn't heard her bathroom door open, but Hayden was notorious for leaving little messages for her. She grinned and bit her bottom lip as she wrapped a towel around her frame before stepping back into her bedroom. The message he left made her feel like a teenage girl again, but that was probably the way his affections made her feel. Their relationship was passionate, and it was only intensifying as time moved on. It was like they had picked up where they had left off all those years ago. She raised an eyebrow when she stepped towards her bed to look over her outfits one last time, but the black dress was gone, and the red dress had been hung up beside her mirror. Seemed like she didn't have to make the choice, it was going to have to be the red. When she held it up to her body, she ran her fingertips along the satin fabric and let out a quiet laugh; she didn't expect Hayden to be so forward, but she had to admit, she liked the little messages and the way he was taking charge. She placed the dress back on her bed and moved towards the window to draw the curtains but paused for a moment; a chill ran down her spine and made the small hairs on her arms stand on edge. She looked at the empty street sceptically before shrugging that feeling off; there was no one there, but she felt slightly paranoid. Only one person had the ability to make her feel like that, but he was long gone.

* * *

When she arrived at the venue, the function room of a bar in the centre of the town, she looked at the decorations her father had set up with an impressed look; streamers and balloons covered the room and he even got her a cake to mark the occasion. This new job was a big step in the right direction, and everyone could see that it would do her the world of good. She hugged her father first, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This place looks great, dad. Thank you."

"You deserve this, Maddie. Once this night's over, I want you to do one thing for me." He held her at arm's length and looked over her face. "Please focus on your future, I want to know that you're going to be okay when I'm not around."

"Dad don't." she looked away from him, her bottom lip trembling.

"Listen, I'm not going to be around forever. That's just the way of life."

"I know, but you don't need to remind me of that. I like to think that you're going to live forever." Madison sighed and turned her eyes back towards her dad, nodding in answer to his demand. "I'm going to do my best at this job and I'm going to pass the bar. There's no need to worry about me anymore."

"I have a feeling that you're going to do amazing work, I just want to see it." He kissed her on her forehead and rubbed her shoulder affectionately; Bobby had always been proud of Madison, but now that she was going to start something that she was passionate about, it made his heart burst with pride. His baby was growing up.

She was distracted by her guest's arrival; Mitch, Maria and their respective partners filed into the room with their kids in tow. They had brought a couple of old friends that Madison vaguely recognised, but she didn't mind them coming, it would keep her siblings distracted. Then she saw Hayden, her smile fading a little as she noticed two familiar faces behind him; Lucy and Eric were two people that she never expected to see again. Along with Hazel, the five of them were all friends but she hadn't saw them since graduation.

* * *

She spoke to Mitch and Maria briefly before making her way over to Hayden, a smirk crossing her face as he led her towards the bar. When he handed her a drink, she sipped it with a coy brow. It made him laugh and when he took her hand, he pulled her closer towards him.

"You look amazing." He whispered in her ear.

"Well, you should've guessed that, you picked out the dress after all."

His face screwed up for a moment, he had no idea what she was talking about and she could see that. "I didn't pick it out."

"If you didn't then who did? A ghost?" she hoped he was messing around with her, but when he continued to look more and more confused, she took another long gulp of her drink. "I got a shower and my black dress was put away and this one was hung up. Drop the joke, Hayden, you left that message on my mirror."

"What message?"

"See you tonight, ring any bells?"

He laughed anxiously and placed his hand on her forehead. "You feel okay? Because I think you're losing it."

She took his hand from her face and kept a hold of it. "Maybe I'm imagining things." She looked around the room as she tried to play off the confusion that she was feeling, catching Lucy's eye. She waved at her enthusiastically and it made Madison feel nervous. "I guess I should go say hello to the old gang."

"I hope you don't mind me bringing them, I thought it would've been nice for you to see them again." He explained as they made their way towards them slowly.

"Kind of wish you gave me a heads up because I feel like my chest is about to explode." She said into her glass as she downed the rest of her drink.

"Don't be like that, when I mentioned the party, they wanted to come and catch up."

"Do they know about us?"

"Of course, Eric and I are still best friends."

Madison looked up at him as they approached the group and hugged each of them in turn. "It's nice to see you both again." She tried to sound confident, but she couldn't help but feel insecure; she hoped they hadn't grown up to be as judgemental as Hazel, but then again, Hazel was always judgemental.

* * *

Stefan kept Hazel close, his arm around her shoulders as they strolled into the party. He looked around the room for Madison but as more people started to come into the room, the harder it was to spot her. Hazel was the one to pinpoint her and when she saw who she was standing with, she ran over without a word to Stefan. He followed her curiously and smiled at Madison in relief as she hugged him loosely.

"I'm so glad to see you here." She said quietly as she turned back to the group.

"Oh my god, the whole gang is here." Hazel said excitedly as she turned to Stefan. "Guys, this is my boyfriend and Madison's friend, Stefan. This is Lucy and Eric, we all used to hang out."

He smiled awkwardly and shook hands with Lucy and Eric. He had never defined his relationship with Hazel and for her to throw it out there, in front of everyone, it made him feel uncomfortable. "It's nice to meet you all." He looked down at Madison and cleared his throat as he threw her a look of help.

"Excuse us, my dad's been dying to meet Stefan and I promised him they could be introduced tonight." Madison said as she pulled her friend away from the group.

"Thanks." He said with a sigh as they moved through the crowds of people.

"No need, things were getting a little awkward for me too. My old friends have a lot of questions about Hayden and I getting back together."

He smiled down at her, genuinely happy for Madison; he knew that she needed someone like Hayden to keep her grounded. "You two are official?"

"Yeah, I plucked up the courage and asked him." She slicked back her hair and looked up at Stefan. "So, you and Hazel are official too?"

"According to her, we are. But we haven't had that discussion yet."

"That's why you wanted me to get you out of there." When he nodded at her and pulled a face, she stopped and stood in front of him, one hand rested on her hip and her eyes looking at the old group. "In her defence,"

"You're actually defending her?" he was shocked, and he threw her a grin.

"I know, I don't believe it either… I think seeing our old friends has thrown her through a loop. She wants to seem accomplished; Lucy and Eric have been married since they graduated high school and Hayden and I are a couple again, she doesn't want to be the odd one out."

"I guess that makes sense, I guess I'm just being overprotective of myself."

Madison placed her hand on Stefan's arm, squeezing him in a comforting way. "You have every right to be, you're divorced."

"Thanks for the reminder."

She shrugged and turned on her heel, waving for him to follow her. "No problem, now, let's find my father, shall we?"

* * *

Bobby was sitting with his grandchildren when Madison approached with Stefan. He got onto his feet a little slowly and patted his shoulder strongly. Stefan could see a resemblance between the father and daughter, but it wasn't much. He had the same nature as her, he seemed to be easy going. At least, that was Stefan's first impression of him.

"This is your friend Stefan? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"I wanted to thank you for helping my daughter out, Maddie wasn't herself when she came home to us, but I would hazard a guess and say that some of your advice has gotten through to her."

Stefan could see that Bobby was starting to get emotional, Madison's wellbeing was a big deal and he assumed that it was down to what happened between her and Jason. He didn't know the full story, but he knew enough. He had saw the aftermath of the carnage he caused.

"I would say most of his advice has gotten through." She said with a smile. "He's been a good friend to me, dad."

"You can't give me all the credit, you've been there for me too." He replied as he looked at Madison, he was thankful to have her, she helped him to get out of the rut he was stuck in.

"You always need your friends, take it from someone who's been around for many, many years," Bobby looked at his daughter and then to Stefan, "friends keep you sane."

Stefan smiled knowingly, if only Bobby and Madison knew how long Stefan had been around for, he wouldn't be giving this advice to him. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ditch the two of you," she placed her hand on her father's and looked at him as she said, "Dorian Lamont's just arrived, and I think I should thank him for coming."

"Go Maddie, I'll look after Stefan. Get him a good stiff drink."

As she walked away, she glanced behind her to watch the two of them; they were getting on like a house on fire, laughing at each other's jokes and sharing stories. She felt relief, her father approved of Hayden and Stefan and apart from her family, they were the people that were keeping her grounded. It felt like the puzzle pieces were falling in line.

* * *

A few hours had passed, and she felt exhausted, she was moving from one group to the other, making sure that she got the chance to speak with everyone. She barely had time to get herself a drink but luckily, Hayden was on standby with a vodka and lemonade every time she checked in with him. After giving him a quick kiss, she retreated with her drink to the fresh air. Madison took her packet of cigarettes from her purse and placed one between her lips as she balanced her drink on the railing of the upstairs terrace. She lit the cigarette and shivered as that feeling she got at home returned. That was when she heard his voice for the first time in over a year.

"Hello Madison." His voice was raspy and was laced with a cynical tone. Jason couldn't help but smirk when she looked at him all wild-eyed and bewildered.

"What are you doing here?" she took a long drag from her cigarette and stared down at the floor. She couldn't bare to bring her eyes up to that charming face of his. He hadn't changed, his shoulder length hair still framed his face perfectly and he still wore that old leather jacket; he had worn it the first night they met.

"I told you that I would see you tonight," he smirked as he watched her eyes move towards his face, "I see you wore the red dress I picked out… You know that I loved that colour on you."

"You broke into my dad's house? You're sick."

"You're right, I'm sick of being away from you, I know our relationship wasn't plain sailing, but we can fix that. I shouldn't have left without a word, but there's so much about me that you don't know. I had to run."

She shook her head and took a step away from him. Jason always had the ability to make her believe in every word he was saying, but she was out of his spell and this time, she wasn't buying his les. "I don't care what you're reasoning is, you left me to clean up all of your messes… I just don't want you in my life. At all. I'm finally back with my family. I'm back with Hayden…"

"You think that the small town, pretty boy will keep you happy?" Jason snickered and looked towards the sky. "I've heard it all now."

She rolled her eyes and pushed past him as she walked towards the door of the bar, but Jason gripped her at the elbow and pulled her closer to him. "Get off me, Jason."

"Just let me explain what happened and if you aren't satisfied, I'll leave you alone. I love you Madison."

"I don't love you anymore. Just let me go."

"I'm not going to leave you alone until you let me try to fix us." His grip got a little tighter which made her thrash her arm. But his grip wouldn't budge.

* * *

When the door of the bar opened, Madison saw Dorian step onto the terrace, tapping his cigarette on his closed packet. He looked at her and then to the man that was holding her against her will.

"Is everything okay here, Madison?" he widened his stance as he approached the two of them.

"Everything's fine." Jason said as he let go of Madison's arm. He spoke lowly into her ear before he walked away. "I'll be back for you."

"Madison?" Dorian looked concerned for her, she looked upset and her eyes were starting to pool into tears.

She watched Jason as he walked away, glancing over his shoulder at her with a defiant smirk. She waited for him to get out of her sight before she started to cry but when she felt Dorian's arms around her it made her sob harder. He wouldn't be able to calm her down.

"Could you please get Mitch? If he's with my dad, just make an excuse. My dad can't see me like this." She pulled away from him and dried her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Yeah, I'll get him now." He took his blazer off and draped it over her shoulders. She was freezing cold.

* * *

Mitch made sure he was discreet as he followed Dorian out to the smoking area, he was worried about Madison, his friend hadn't said much but he did make it clear that there was an altercation between her and a male; he immediately thought it was Hayden, but he was still in the bar, talking to their father. When he got outside, he saw her sitting in the corner with Dorian's blazer wrapped around her as tightly as she could get it. He took the seat beside her and placed his arm around her, letting her cry on his shoulder.

"Jason was here." She said finally. She looked up at her brother and curled into his side. "I thought Hayden left a message on the mirror while I was in the shower… It was him… He broke into dad's house."

"What? Did he say this?" Mitch could feel his blood boil in his veins, but he had to keep his cool for his sister's sake.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to explain why he left me in such a hurry, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I don't know what he would've done if Dorian hadn't of intervened." Madison looked at her soon to be boss with a sad smile. "Thank you, by the way."

"There's no need, as long as you're okay, Madison."

"We'll get this sorted out, but we need to tell dad." Mitch placed his head on Madison's and let out a sigh.

"We can't, do you really think dad needs this stress?"

"He's broke in once, he can do it again."

"Then we'll get alarms put in, please don't tell dad." She looked up at Mitch, her bottom lip quivering. "We'll install the alarms and I'll stay with Hayden. Jason wouldn't dare to go anywhere near him."

"Is he dangerous, Madison?" Dorian asked as he lit the cigarette he had been craving.

"I don't think he'd hurt anyone. He's just trying to get to me."

"Then we'll slap him with a restraining order and let the law deal with him." He said casually as he watched the siblings.

"I don't think it'll be as easy as that," she sighed as she slowly got onto her feet. She took off Dorian's blazer and handed it over to him, "let me calm down and work things out and if I can't then we'll tell dad and take the legal route."

"Madison, Dorian's right." Mitch said sympathetically as he watched Madison fix her make up in the reflection of her phone screen.

"You don't know Jason like I know him. He'll leave dad's house alone if I'm not there. He'll get tired of his little games when I show no interest. This is all to get a rise out of me and I don't plan on biting." She walked towards the door, holding onto it for a moment. She looked at Dorian and gave him a sheepish smirk. "Thank you for stepping in and I'm sorry that you got involved. I promise I'm not going to be any trouble to you when I start on Monday."

"Hey kid," Dorian gazed at her, his cigarette hanging from his lip as he spoke, "we've all got our baggage. If you leave it at the door, we'll have no problems."

* * *

Hayden was sat at a booth with their old friends, Stefan and Hazel sitting closely beside them at a table. When Madison passed them, it looked as if they were deep in conversation; she couldn't interrupt Stefan to tell him what happened to her, she didn't know if she even wanted to talk to him about it, he needed to work through his issues with her and she had to let him do it. She took the space by Hayden and gripped his hand tightly and tried her best to follow their conversation. She was determined to enjoy the rest of her night, Jason had already ruined so much of her life, she would be damned if she let him derail her redemption.

"We were just talking about the bowling tournaments we used to have, how Lucy and I always whooped your asses." Eric said in a teasing tone as he pressed the opening of his beer bottle to his lips.

"I think you're remembering things wrong," Hayden grinned down at Madison and it made her melt; she loved his goofy grin and the way his eyes lit up in pure bliss, "Mads and I won the last ever tournament we had so that makes us reigning champs. Ain't that right?"

"Yeah, we won that back in 2016, didn't we?" she looked up at her boyfriend with a furrowed brow; she was starting to doubt her memories, it had been so long since she thought about the fun she used to have with her friends.

"I think it was 2015 but how about this," Lucy started to say as she tapped Hazel on the shoulder, watching as her and Stefan turned around to join their conversation, "seen as we have three couples in the group now, why don't we have one last tournament to determine the ultimate power couple?"

"That's a great idea babe, are you guys in?" Eric looked to Hayden who responded with a single nod. He looked at Hazel and Stefan and raised a brow as they looked at each other silently, a slight frown crossing her face. "What do you say Stefan? Fancy it?"

"I'm not much of a bowler," he looked down at Hazel, noticing her eyes twinkle as tears started to form; they had just argued about the pressure she was placing on him by calling him her boyfriend but he didn't want to embarrass her, she was helping him move on from his old life, "but sure, we'll take part in the tournament."

Hazel smiled at him and Madison watched her slip her hand into his. It looked like Stefan took her advice and it made her feel good. No matter what her feelings were towards Hazel, she didn't want to risk his happiness, that was what their friendship was all about… Doing the right thing for each other.

"Then it's settled, this Friday we'll all meet at the Bowl-a-drome at seven. Sound good to you?" Madison said as she rested her head on Hayden's shoulder. She relaxed a little when she felt his hand rest on her lap, his fingertips tracing small circles on her skin.

"Sounds good to us." Hazel replied as she watched Stefan from the corner of her eye; she could see that he wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome of their discussion, but she was determined to make things right with him; her feelings for that man we're getting stronger and she wasn't willing to lose him.

* * *

She leaned against the wall as she peeled the stiletto heels from her feet and watched as Stefan undid a couple of buttons of his shirt before rolling the sleeves up. When his hazel eyes met hers, she looked away quickly and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, flipping the hair in her hands over to one side.

"Do you still want me to stay over?" she said timidly. Hazel didn't want him to see how upset she was, she didn't want to force him into staying with her for the sake of a stupid tournament.

"Of course, I do, I want to work this out." He placed his hands on his hips and let out an exhausted sigh. "I'm going to make us some comfort food and once it's done and, on the table, we'll talk about this calmly, okay?"

She glanced up at him, looking away almost immediately. "That's fair."

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll call you in when it's done." He took a couple of steps back and moved into his kitchen, his hands finding comfort behind his head. He didn't know how this conversation was going to end, the other one had just turned into an argument and he couldn't bear hurting Hazel. She had her flaws, but she had been so good to him. She kept his mind off Caroline.

* * *

He set the pieces of toast with melted cheese oozing from the sides in front of her before taking a seat across from her. Neither one of them dared to take the first slice until he bit the bullet and said the first words.

"I'm sorry for letting our conversation turn sour earlier, I never wanted to hurt your feelings."

"And I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable." She took a piece of the cheesy toast and took a small bite. "You don't understand how it felt to see my friends standing there… I was so excited and then I remembered that they were two couples and it took me back in time. It was so hard being friends with them because I felt like the fifth wheel. I didn't want to feel like that this time."

His gaze turned from being frustrated to concerned and he placed his hands on the table. "I do understand but I just wish you were truthful, there's nothing wrong with taking time to get to know someone before you rush into a relationship."

"But I feel like I know you well enough; how many nights in a row have I spent here? I know you as much as I can. I've even picked up on your little habits."

He shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. "You don't know everything about me, there are things that I'm not willing to share with you just yet because I don't feel like I can open up to you fully." Hazel wasn't ready to hear about his life in Mystic Falls; she didn't love him enough to keep his secret.

"It'll come in time but I'm not going to be another Caroline," she watched him flinch when she mentioned her name, "I want to be with you Stefan. I want to make things right between us, but I can only do that if you'll let me."

"You have to be patient with me and give me time to become fully cemented in another relationship again. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Is the sky blue?" she placed her hand over her mouth, her fingers rested on her cupid's bow.

"I promise that if you give me time to build my trust up, we'll have a beautiful relationship."

"I don't doubt that for a second," she got onto her feet and tiptoed across the tile to wrap her arms around his shoulders, leaving sweet kisses on the side of his head as she spoke lowly in his ear, "you're a good man, Stefan and I want to help you tear down those walls that keep your heart guarded."

He placed his hand on her forearms, keeping it there until she moved away from him, his hand slipping through hers. He didn't know if he would be able to tell her about his vampiric life or if he should even mention it. He would be able to tell if their relationship would last if he wanted to tell her about his past. It was the test he had set himself and he hoped he could pass it.

* * *

"You've never asked to stay at my place before, are you sure everything's okay with you?" Hayden asked as he stepped onto his porch. He pulled his key from his pocket and stared down at Madison as she fixed his jacket around her shoulders.

"I'm fine, I just need to talk to you about something and I really don't want my dad to overhear." She looked up at him and nodded towards his door. "Are your parents home?"

"No, they're on their annual Honolulu vacation. Won't be back until next week." He opened the door and let her into the house. "What do you need to talk about?"

"I need to be out of this dress first so I can get comfortable enough to tell you; right now, it's making my skin crawl." She looked away from his stare and bit at the skin on her lip.

He was a little cynical about her request but gave into it. "I'll go get you a T-shirt and some shorts and then we'll talk?"

She nodded at him and followed him up the stairs; she was surprised that she could remember her way around his house. His room remained relatively unchanged and it made her smile a little, she always loved his room. It was like walking into a music store. She changed out of the dress and tied the strings on his shorts as tightly as she could before sitting on his bed, holding onto a pillow for security.

"What's gotten into you, Mads? Are you having second thoughts about us?" he sat in front of her and rested his hand on her ankle.

She rested her hand on his cheek, rubbing his stubble with her thumb. "God no, something happened at the party and I don't want you to get mad."

He raised a brow and pursed his lips tightly. "I don't know if I can promise that."

She closed her eyes briefly and took her hand away from his face, returning it to the pillow. "Jason turned up and ambushed me."

"What did he want?" he said through gritted teeth; she didn't tell him everything that went on between them, but he had saw the mark he left on her and that pissed him off.

"Remember the message on my bathroom mirror and the dress? I thought that you did it…"

He could put two and two together, but he wanted her to confirm his suspicions. "It was him, wasn't it? He broke in after I left."

She nodded and ran her hands down her face. "He said he wanted to fix things and explain to me why he left and when I said no, he gripped me by the arm. I don't know what he would've done if Dorian hadn't of came outside." She got off the bed and stepped towards the window, staring out to the quiet cul-de-sac.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Not on purpose, at least I hope it wasn't on purpose. I need to stay here for a few days because I don't feel safe at my dad's."

Hayden got onto his feet and wrapped his arms around Madison's waist. It made her feel safe for a moment, that was until she spotted a figure move by one of the street lights. She didn't say anything, she knew that Hayden would go out and possibly get himself hurt. Instead, she leaned into his embrace and closed his blinds over.

"Stay for as long as you want, he's not going to get anywhere near you Mads. Not under my watch."

* * *

 **A:N What do you think Jason's deal is, is there something more to him than just being a trouble maker? There's going to be an unexpected visit for Madison and Hayden in the next chapter and over the next couple of chapters, Stefan's secret is going to be exposed. Thank you for the favourites and follows left on this story and thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

The sound of light snoring filled his room as he watched Hazel sleep peacefully in his arms. He still felt guilty for the way he had treated her at Madison's party, and he was determined to make it up to her. He left the bed carefully and snuck out of the room, trying his best not to wake the blonde in his bed.

Hazel woke up to the smell of freshly made pancakes and when she rolled over, Stefan was standing there, a tray in his hand with a plate and a vase with a single rose rested in it. She propped herself up on her elbows and bit her bottom lip to hide her smile.

"What's all of this?"

"You go back to work tomorrow, and I just wanted to make your last day of the weekend great." He set the tray on her lap and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her stare at the plate of pancakes.

"What's the real reason?" she said sceptically as she started to dig into her breakfast.

"I feel bad about last night and I wanted to show you that I am committed to becoming committed to you."

"Hmm," she said as she chewed quickly, "if you really wanted to show me, you could do something that I enjoy doing just to break you out of your comfort zone."

"Depends what activity you've got planned."

"Usually, every Sunday morning I like to go for a run but because I've been here for the past couple of weekends, I haven't had the chance."

"A run? I think I can manage a run."

She grinned at him as she cleaned off the fork in her mouth. "Great because I love this one hiking spot just out of town and I really want to push myself and get to the top." When his face dropped slightly, she raised her brow and tilted her head. "Think you can handle a run uphill, Stefan?"

Had he of still had the perks of being a vampire, he would've said yes confidently; but he didn't have that advantage anymore and he didn't exercise nearly enough as he should've. If anyone was going to be pushing themselves, it would be him.

"Last one at the top buys lunch." He tried his best to sound excited for their run, but he couldn't completely muster up the confidence.

"It's a deal."

* * *

They were rudely awakened by a furious banging at Hayden's front door. Madison rolled out of his embrace and ran her hands tiredly along her face as Hayden sat up and stretched out his back. He looked down at her and nodded for her to answer the door as he moved and dangled his legs over the edge, trying to find the willpower to get himself out of bed. Madison left the room and treaded carefully on the cold floorboards underneath her bare feet as she slinked towards the door. When she opened it, her eyes widened as she came face to face with Hayden's sister; she expected her to be dead or to be living it up in Mexico but there she was, standing on the porch with a scowl. She obviously wasn't happy to see Madison.

"Jayda, oh my god."

"Is my brother home?" she unfolded her arms and dropped them by her side.

"Uh, yeah. He's upstairs, come in and I'll get him."

Jayda watched Madison run up the stairs and stood at the threshold, leaning against the frame. She tested it, just to see if Madison's name was on the deeds; she hadn't kept tabs on her brother's relationship with Madison and for all she knew, they could be married. But it was a bust. She could hear them talking upstairs and when she heard the happiness in her brother's voice and the bouncing of his step as he ran down the stairs, she knew that she would be able to get what she wanted from him.

"Jayda, I can't believe it. Come in, get out of the cold." He said as he jogged up to the front door. When she stepped into the house, he threw his arms around her and buried his head into her shoulder; she had hardly aged a day, so wherever she was, she was well looked after. "Where have you been?"

"I'll explain everything, but I just want a little bit of alone time with you, make up for the time that I've lost." She flicked her jet-black hair over her shoulder and looked towards Madison as she sat on the staircase in disbelief. "You understand, don't you Maddie?"

"Of course, I'll just get changed into something warmer and go out for a jog or something." She got onto her feet and watched the siblings hug once more before she went upstairs. Jayda and her never had the best relationship; Jayda was just being a protective big sister and Madison couldn't fault her for it. She just wished she hid her dislike for her a little better.

* * *

Madison blasted the music through the headphones she borrowed from Hayden's nightstand and took enjoyment in the time she had alone to herself. It allowed her to think about seeing Jason again and how it made her feel; she was panicked and scared and she knew that wasn't normal. Madison had no idea what she was going to do about him, he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted from her, and if she was right, it would be right back in the palm of his hand. She had no idea what his fascination about her was, but she hated it. She could feel her stomach knot as his face flashed into her mind but she shook off the thoughts and the feelings, Madison's jog turned into a sprint as she tried to escape the memories that were starting to flood her mind; the pains in her sides brought her back down to reality but when she started to lose her breath, she had to stop running.

She ripped the headphones from her head and kept them around her neck as she leaned on the back of a park bench, heaving and gasping for air. Madison didn't even look up when a shadow loomed over her, not even when she heard the voice that had been haunting her thoughts.

"What or who are you running from, I wonder."

She knew that he was smirking without looking at him, she wasn't surprised to see that he was when she brought her eyes up to his face, shuddering slightly at the sight of him sitting on the bench, staring at her.

"When are you going to take the hint and leave me alone?"

"When you actually listen to what I have to say." He gripped her wrist quickly and began to compel her; he didn't like using compulsion on Madison, he wanted almost everything to be real between them, but he knew he couldn't make her sit with him without forcing her to. "Sit down and listen to what I have to say."

Madison stepped around the bench and took the space at the opposite end, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for him to speak.

"I never wanted to leave you, Madison. If I thought that I could run away with you and keep you safe, then I would've taken you with me."

"Why did you want to run away? You seemed to be enjoying the partying lifestyle back in New York."

"Trust me, I loved our life together but I was being hunted down like prey and for years I managed to slip under the radar until I saw you for the first time, you won't remember it because I made you forget, it was your eighteenth birthday and after a night of underage drinking with your friends at the park, you were stumbling home. Walked right onto the road in front of my car. You were very lucky that I stopped the car in time."

Madison flinched when he reached over to touch her shoulder, she shrugged him off and looked away from him, disbelieving everything he was telling her.

"You looked so vulnerable and when I got out to check on you, you cried on my shoulder. Hayden had said something that pissed you off… You were just drunk and being dramatic, I pitied you, but I saw so much potential." He pushed his dark brown hair from his face and crossed one leg over the other. "This feeling hit me, in the pit of my stomach and would you believe that it was love at first sight?"

She shook her head and let out a bitter snicker as she turned back to him. "No, because that only happens in rom coms or children's stories. Love at first sight isn't real."

"It is, because I felt it. I drove you home that night and we sat outside your parent's house for hours, opening up to each other; getting to know each other on an astronomical level. We connected and I knew that I had to protect you because even back then, you were a train wreck waiting to happen."

* * *

He scooted closer towards her and placed his hand on her knee but this time, she didn't push him away and it made him feel like he was getting somewhere with her. She was gazing into his eyes now and she didn't turn her head away or shift her eyes to the floor. Madison was actually taking in what he said.

"You cried on my shoulder and told me about all your shitty friends and your shitty family. I made you forget meeting me, but I kept tabs on you and when you fell for me in the city, it was like winning the lottery. I didn't have to compel your love… It was true love."

"Compel? What are you talking about, Jason?"

"I want you to stay calm and don't be scared. I'm a vampire, Madison and when I met you, I was running for my life."

"Running away from who?"

"Bad people, Madison. You don't need to know the nitty gritty details because it's been taken care of now. That's why I'm here, we can be together again. I want you back." He reached over and played with the ends of her brunette hair. "Be truthful with me, do you love Hayden?"

"I love him more than anything."

He clenched his jaw for a second and moved his hand to the top of her head, smoothing down a few stray hairs. "Do you love me?"

"I used to but not anymore." she said bluntly.

He moved his hand away from her head and clenched it into a fist. He wasn't willing to lose her, and he was determined to get her back; but he couldn't have her telling Hayden his secret. "Forget that you saw me today and forget this conversation."

A wave of confusion hit her when she realised that she was sitting on the bench; she didn't know how she got there, and she didn't know what she was doing. All she knew was that her head felt fuzzy and that something wasn't right. Madison was determined to get to the bottom of it one way or the other, she was just going to have to think of a way to get the answers.

* * *

When she got back to Hayden's place, Jayda was gone and he was left by himself, sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. She walked into his home slowly and frowned at him before taking the space by his side. Madison pulled him into her side and petted the side of his head comfortingly.

"I assume things didn't go well with Jayda?"

"She was explaining to me that she had to run from someone and that she went through all these changes; that she wasn't the Jayda that I used to know. She wasn't making any sense, Mads and then she just disappeared when my back was turned. I didn't even hear her close the front door."

When he looked at her, she could tell that he was distraught and although she had no idea how it felt seeing Jayda for the first time in years, she did know what it was like to see a ghost from the past and how shitty it was to be left with unanswered questions. She tilted his head up towards her eye line and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"She's got to be staying somewhere in this town and I promise you, we will find her and the two of you can work out whatever issues she's got going on. Your parents will be back from their holiday soon and I'm sure seeing them again will make Jayda realise that she needs her family."

"I think that's why she's back, I don't know why but I just got this feeling that she was in trouble." He was deeply worried for his sister, when she vanished four years ago, she truly vanished; the police couldn't find her and there were no reported sightings. Whatever trouble that he thought she was in, it would have to be horrible for her to run.

"We'll get to the bottom of it, together." She slipped her hand into his and flashed him a small smile. "She's still in Clearhollow, she has to be. I'll make some calls around the local hotels and see if anyone's checked in with her name."

He returned her expression and nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Mads, I'm glad you're here because I'd be freaking out if I was alone."

She ran her thumb across his prickly cheek and pursed her lips. "I'll always be here."

* * *

His chest was on fire and it felt like his heart was going to explode through his ribcage, but Stefan had surprised himself and beat Hazel to the top of the huge hill. He grinned at her victoriously before taking a drink of water and threw his arm around her. She was panting for air and he could tell by how red her face was that she had exhausted herself.

"Looks like someone owes me lunch." He wagged his brows at her and pushed her playfully.

"Fair's fair." She replied as she snatched the bottle of water from his grasp. "Just let me get by breath back before we walk all the way back down." She collapsed onto a park bench and followed Stefan with her eyes until he sat beside her. "Thanks for letting me break you out of your world of cars and pancakes."

"No, thank you for letting me try to make it up to you. I need to learn how to let my guard down and I promise that from now on, I'll be an open book."

"Seen as you are feeling open," she looked at him from the corner of her eye and placed the cool water bottle on the back of her warm neck, "why don't you tell me more about your ex-wife, like why the two of you decided to get a divorce."

He sat beside her and clasped his hands in front of himself; he didn't want to talk about what happened between them, but it could heal him and if it took away that barrier he had put up around himself, then Stefan was willing to tell her half the truth.

"We were at two different points in our lives; she was a surrogate mother and when the birth mother died, she was willing to help the father raise the twins. Caroline grew up so quickly and we wanted different things. I didn't want to have kids, not then and there but she did. And it was very hard for me to watch my wife carry two girls that weren't mine. It strained our relationship."

"I can't imagine how hard it would be, but it seems like your ex-wife was a wonderful woman to take on two children that weren't biologically hers."

"She is an amazing woman, but our relationship ran its course and now I'm with another amazing woman." He smiled at Hazel as he took her hand, their fingers entwined. "An amazing woman who is going to buy me a massive BLT." He teased as he pulled her onto her feet.

"Ugh, fine." She complained with a smirk.

* * *

They walked back down the trail at a steady pace, a sort of peaceful silence fell over them until Stefan's curiosity got the better of him. He cleared his throat and looked down at Hazel as she kept her eyes straight in front of her.

"Have you ever had a serious relationship?"

She shook her head, glancing at him for a moment. "No, you're the first person I've ever shown my real self to."

"How come?"

"People use me because they probably think I'm shallow. I mean, my dad's rich and I have this flashy car and these nice clothes; it's like an excuse for people to take what they want from me before they leave."

Stefan watched as her body language changed; she folded her arms across her chest and stared off into the distance. He felt sorry for her, perhaps he was the only one that truly got to know the good parts of Hazel.

"I'm sorry to hear that, you deserved to be treated a lot better."

"I don't think I should tell you this, but if you're going to be open with me, then it's only fair… I've always been jealous and spiteful towards Madison because she was always able to connect with people on a personal level whereas I felt like everything was a business transaction. Like in high school, I would hang out with someone and they would get popularity and I would get a friend for a month or two while she had people that wanted to talk to her for her personality."

"You have a great personality too, you know."

"I know that now, but I didn't when I was only a teenager. I only started to realise that when I made friends with Madison, Hayden, Eric and Lucy and they actually wanted to talk to me because of my true personality. But because they were all couples, I felt like I needed to be with someone too so that's where the using came back into play."

"I don't think you've had it very easy because you've always felt insecure." He looked at her once more but this time she returned his gaze. "Do you feel insecure with me? Do you think that I'm using you?"

"Not at all. For the first time in a while, I feel good about myself."

They shared a smile before Stefan stopped her in her tracks, placing a kiss onto her lips. Hazel felt his arms wrap around her and lift her weight from the ground ever so slightly. She was happy and she didn't need money or fancy items to give her that rush; Stefan was able to provide that for her.

"I care about you, Hazel. I hope you realise that." He said quietly.

"I care about you too."

* * *

"I don't understand what your obsession is with Madison Rodgers, but I have a bad feeling about it." Jayda barely glanced up from her phone when Jason returned home. He didn't throw a petty insult or a jab at her as he poured himself a drink and that wasn't like him; he always had something smart to say. She leaned back into the armchair and rested one leg over the arm as she placed her phone back in her pocket. "Earth to Jason, I'm talking to you."

"I know, I can hear you." He took a sip of the vodka and lemonade he prepared himself; he had made it his drink of choice ever since he heard Madison order it in New York City.

"What's gotten into you? Ever since you saw her again, you've been broody and deflated. You weren't like this when we were on the run."

"Because when we were on the run, we had no humanity which made everything fun." He kept his back to her as he knocked back his drink and poured himself another.

"I'm still having fun, life without humanity is bliss."

"Seeing Hayden again didn't stir up some emotion?" he glanced over his shoulder at her inquisitively and observed as she stared at him blankly.

"Why would it?"

"Because I took you away from your perfect suburban life and your happy little family."

She shrugged and rested her head on her hand. "Doesn't bother me now. I'm better off without them. The only reason I went back was so that you could get access into the house. You wanted me to get Hayden to let you in when you go to see Madison and I obliged."

"And why did you just agree? I expected you to put up a bit of a fight when I asked you."

"Because the sooner you strike out with little miss perfect, the sooner we can get back to having some fun." Jayda flashed him a wicked grin and pointed her brows. "What did she say to you that got you so hot and bothered?"

"That she doesn't love me anymore. She's in love with Hayden, and I'm going to have to do something about that."

Jayda looked away from him quickly and rested her head back on the chair. "Why don't you just give up on her? You've got me."

"The only reason I turned you was to get that annoying little brother of yours away from Madison, not to spend an eternity being bound to you." Jason stepped towards Jayda slowly, peering down at her devious face through squinted eyes. "I gave you immortality and I'll happily take it away from you." He took a sip from his glass and made his way towards the staircase, calling out to his accomplice, "Don't ever suggest something so stupid again."

Jayda laughed at him as she watched him ascend towards his room. "You're a fool for loving that girl. She'll be the end of you."

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for your support of this story, Madison's going to figure out the truth very soon and Stefan's going to help her come to that realisation but before Stefan can help, he's going to have to meet Jason first. I'm also planning on bringing someone from the series in for a moment to help Stefan find some clarity, who do you think it is? Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're still enjoying this story!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

This was the day. As she put on the nice dress that was long enough to be modest but short enough to show that she wasn't at the age yet to be going through a midlife crisis, she smiled at the reflection she saw, she liked this new her. When Madison came downstairs, she was surprised to see her father sitting waiting for her. She hugged him tightly and looked over his shoulder to see Hayden grinning at them as he leaned against the doorframe between his kitchen and his living room. She mouthed a thank you and held her father at arm's length.

"I've missed you Maddie." He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "When are you coming home?"

"When it's safe for me to be there." She pulled him into another hug and pressed her face against his shoulder; she didn't realise how much she missed him until he was with her.

"If Jason even comes near the house, I'll get my shotgun and shoot him." He whispered to her. He could feel her face wrinkle into a smile.

"I don't want you getting in trouble." She let go of him and looked over at Hayden. "But I'm in great hands, Jason hasn't even dared to show up here."

"He'll regret it if he does." Hayden added.

"Well I thought that I'd come around to see you off before your first day with Mr Lamont, he's been asking Mitch about you, just to see if you're still alright to start today."

"The best thing for me to do is act like Jason showing up again, didn't happen. I'm not going to let him control my life." Madison moved to the little table by the front door and placed her hand bag on her shoulder. "He doesn't get to ruin this day."

Hayden exchanged a look with Bobby and scratched the back of his head. "I'll go get my shoes on and take you to work."

"I can drive," she looked between the two men and raised an eyebrow, they were both looking at her, concern on their faces, "why are you looking at me like that?"

"It would be safer if Hayden drove you, I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Would it put your mind at ease if he drove me?" she folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes when her father nodded. "Fine, but just today. I'm not a little girl anymore, dad."

"You're my youngest and I'll always see you as my baby." He nodded at Hayden and stepped towards the front door. "Have a great first day, Maddie. Let me know how it goes."

"I'll call you later, dad."

* * *

Once she was inside Dorian's building, Madison felt like she could finally breathe; she appreciated the concern that Hayden and her father had for her, but in her eyes, it was too much. As she stepped to the elevator, Dorian joined her in waiting, a small smile on his face and a coffee in his hand.

"I would've brought you one, but I don't know what you like." He explained as he stepped into the elevator.

"That's alright, I don't like drinking too much coffee in the mornings anyway." She watched him press the button for their floor and stood in awkward silence for a moment. "My dad told me that you've been asking Mitch about me."

"I haven't been able to get that picture of you sobbing uncontrollably out of my mind." He let out a sigh and took a long drink from his coffee before saying, "I hope you don't mind but I've been doing some digging."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Digging into what?"

"Well, Mitch had asked me to prepare a restraining order against Jason and I found out some pretty weird things."

Her frustration turned into curiosity; she wanted to know what he found out about him and why it was strange. It took over her want to call up her brother and lecture him for meddling into her life.

* * *

She followed Dorian into his office and looked at the pieces of evidence that littered the floor. Madison raised a brow and sat beside Dorian on the floor, watching him as he started to pick up the pieces that made up Jason's past.

"You're probably going to think that I'm crazy but once I found one thing that didn't add up, I had to keep digging. My mother used to tease me when I was boy saying that if I didn't grow up to be a lawyer, I'd make a damn good archaeologist."

She smiled at him a little but all she wanted was to learn what he had found out. "So, what made you want to keep digging into Jason?"

"I don't think Jason Ayren is his real name, my theory is pretty dark." He glanced at the young brunette and set his cup beside him then picked up a death certificate he acquired from the public records office. "Jason Ayren was born in 1880 and died in 1904. He didn't have any children that were documented and no family to bury him, they all died in a gruesome fire in 1902."

She furrowed her brows and took the death certificate from him, examining it in confusion. "What's the theory then?"

"One theory is, your ex-boyfriend stole the name from this man's grave. I've saw many cases where criminals find the oldest grave in the graveyard and give the police their name; it means that when the police search for the name they're given, it comes up with no records and they get a shorter sentence until they're caught out."

"It would make sense, Jason was always getting himself into trouble while we were together. He didn't have money to pay bills and then suddenly, he would get money to pay them. It never made sense because he didn't even have enough money to put food into his fridge; if he ate, I bought the groceries."

"I'm starting to think that the first theory is more accurate then; he was probably a pickpocket and used that alter ego to keep himself out of police custody."

"Well, what was your next theory?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy for suggesting this, but I used to date this woman while I was at college and she had this friend that was obsessed with the supernatural. This woman, Isobel her name was, used to talk about these beings that were immortal, she obsessed over them. I always thought that she was a mad woman until I saw this," he pulled out a police report from 1906 and handed it over to Madison.

Madison read the details in the report; women drained of blood all over the state of New York. The only suspect was a man called Jason Ayren, but he evaded police custody and disappeared into history. When she reached the last page, there was a small photograph that was found on one of the victims; it looked so much like him if she squinted her eyes, but the photograph was that old, that it was hard to tell if it was really him.

* * *

She looked at Dorian and shook her head, it was too unreal for her to believe. But it was there in black and white. "You think that Jason is one of these immortal beings that a friend of a friend talked about, years ago?"

"I know how it sounds and I started to think that I was going crazy when I read that report last night but it lines up with the death certificate; it was issued in Rochester, New York and the murders all happened within the state two years after Jason Ayren died."

"And you're sure that there are no recent records of Jason, anywhere?"

"I'm one hundred per cent sure that you won't find Jason Ayren anywhere else but on these pages."

"You know that this makes you sound like a mad man, right?"

"I know, I've stayed up all night trying to find something to debunk this theory and there's nothing."

She rested her hand on her face as she stared down at all the evidence that pointed to Dorian's theory of the supernatural. This wasn't how she was expecting her first day to go, she was expecting papercuts from all the filing she would have to do, not a headache caused by a dead man.

"What did Isobel call these immortals?"

"Vampires."

"Like bloodsucking, night stalking vampires?" Madison shook her head and buried her face into her hands. "I don't believe in the supernatural, Dorian. I'm sorry but I don't think this is Jason."

"Apply what studying for law taught you, look at the bigger picture and try to frame this theory into what you remember about him." Dorian got onto his feet and started to pick the pages up from the floor. He moved over to his drawing board and started to pin the evidence to the cork. "You've got a man who died in 1904 who is the same age as Jason with no family to carry on the name or to remember him and then you have women drained of blood in the same state, two years later." He pinned the only photographic evidence to back up his theory in the middle of the board and drew a red circle around it. "This could be it Madison and I think we should investigate it further just to see how far we can take this theory."

She examined the board and still felt unsure; this was madness, vampire only existed in folklore and teen movies. It was hard to say no to Dorian, though, he believed this, and he was so captivating that she had to accept. Madison knew that she couldn't talk to Hayden about this, he got angry at the mention of his name. She needed a second opinion, she wanted Stefan's opinion. He'd tell her if she was being crazy or not.

* * *

It was hard being back at work after having a few days off with Hazel, but life had to go back to normal having a routine kept him in check. He was working under a hatchback when he heard the loud rumble of a car engine turn into the garage. He half expected it to be Joe coming to check on him, but Joe wasn't as light on his feet as whoever it was that was walking around the garage.

"Service please." The familiar voice said as they crouched by the front of the car Stefan was under.

He pushed himself out and looked up at his brother, the same smirk that he always had was on his face, but he looked a little different; he had grown some stubble and Stefan could see the slightest hint of crow's feet by his eyes.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" he took his hand and allowed him to pull him onto his feet. They hugged briefly, patting each other on the back.

"Aren't you glad to see me, brother?" he sat down behind Joe's desk and found a ball of elastic bands to play with. "You stopped answering my calls or replying to my texts. I thought you were dead."

Stefan folded his arms across his chest and watched Damon throw the rubber band ball into the air over and over. "I have a job to keep up with."

"You don't work all day, every day. You know that I miss you, even if you're debbie downer." Damon looked at Stefan and smirked. "Or maybe it wasn't this job that was stopping you from answering the phone." When Stefan said nothing, Damon dropped the ball and shifted in the chair. "Has Stefan got himself a girl? Spill the beans, brother. What's her name?"

"She's called Hazel."

"Hazel, got any pics?"

Stefan rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No because we've only started dating."

"Well, can I meet her?"

"I don't think so, Damon."

"Why not? Have you even told her about me?"

"I'm sure you've came up once or twice. No, wait, I definitely do remember describing you as the most annoying person in the world." Stefan teased.

"You're very funny. Elena misses your sense of humour. I personally didn't care for it."

"How is Elena? Did she come with you?"

"No, she's been working flat out although she does send her love and says that you better visit us soon. She also told me that I should inform you that I proposed."

A small grin appeared on Stefan's face. "You took the plunge? Congrats, brother."

"It was about time that she made an honest man of me. No plans for a wedding, yet."

"Take your time, the two of you have plenty of time."

"In case you forgot, Stefan, time is escaping us. We don't have immortality anymore."

Stefan raised a brow at Damon and rested his hands on his hips. It seemed as if Damon was starting to miss their old life, or at least aspects of it.

"Remember, you chose a human life with Elena for a reason."

"I know that, I just wish I had more time."

"There's still life in us yet, but there won't be for me if this soccer mum comes back and her car isn't fixed." He reached into his pocket and threw his house keys at Damon. "I'll be back around five, please don't make a mess."

"I'll try not to. Don't keep me waiting, or I'll hunt you down." Damon waved his fingers at Stefan before climbing back into his car.

Stefan didn't want to admit it to himself, but he missed having Damon around; if he didn't remind him so much of his old life, he'd visit him as much as he could. He just wanted to forget about all the bad things that happened to them in the past. This was a new start, a fresh start.

* * *

Damon stepped into the bungalow and took his time alone to investigate and inspect every inch of the house. He started in Stefan's room, stumbling across what he hoped was Hazel's bra. He threw it to one side of the room and looked for a hidden bottle of bourbon. He got onto the floor and stuck his arm under the bed, smirking when he found a bottle. He moved into the kitchen and searched the cupboards for a glass.

Being away from home and the responsibility that owning a home with Elena brought, Damon was going to let his hair down and enjoy his mini break in Clearhollow. With the music blaring and the bourbon pouring freely, Damon was going to pass his time the way he knew best. He didn't get very far when there was a knock at the door and when he answered, he raised his eyebrow at the small brunette that looked at him with the same expression.

"I'm guessing that you're Hazel."

"No, I'm not. Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing, if you're not Hazel then who are you?"

"My name's Madison, I'm Stefan's friend. Is he home? I need to speak with him."

"No, but you're welcome to come in and wait." He pushed the door open a little more and welcomed her into his brother's home. "I'm Damon by the way, Stefan's brother."

"I know who you are, he's mentioned you before." She held her hand out to him and shook his when he took hers. "It's nice to meet you."

Damon was shocked to hear that Stefan told Madison about him, but he wanted to know exactly what he said, he was always curious.

"I hope what Stefan told you was all good things. Did he mention how dashing I am?"

"No, he left that out." She looked at the time on her phone and let out a sigh. "Do you know when Stefan will be back?"

"A couple of minutes maybe. Sit and you can tell me how my brother's been getting on with his new life."

She sat on Stefan's sofa and looked everywhere but at Damon. She could tell that he was slightly drunk. "He's happy, wasn't at first but I think he's finally fitting in here."

"How did the two of you become friends then?"

"We met at a bar, both of us needed some friendship."

"And what about this girl Hazel? Stefan's been so tight lipped about her that I can't get any information out of him. Is she good for him?" Damon wanted to make sure she wasn't going to break his heart, Stefan had plenty of that for a lifetime and after Caroline, he was fragile.

"They're happy together, had a bit of a rocky start but I don't think things are official just yet."

"He's taking it slow… Good." Damon tapped his fingers against the arm rest of the chair and looked away from Madison. When Stefan returned home, he jumped out of the chair and smirked at his brother. "You have a visitor. Shall I give you two some privacy?"

Stefan looked at Madison as she nodded at him desperately. "Yeah, do you mind?"

"Not all brother," Damon turned to Madison and ducked his head. "Pleasure to meet you Madison."

"Likewise." She said as she watched him walk into Stefan's room and shut the door.

* * *

He could tell that something was bothering her by the way she kept to the corner of his sofa and how she avoided eye contact. He feared that Jason had did something to her or tracked her down at Dorian's building; he knew it was her first day today and she should've been excited.

"What's got you so quiet for a change?"

She rolled her head towards Stefan and danced around the topic, she thought he was going to think she was crazy.

"What's your opinion on the supernatural?"

He cleared his throat and placed a light-hearted smile onto his face. "The supernatural? Where's this coming from?"

"Dorian did some digging into Jason's past. I know this is going to be a bit insane, but Dorian thinks that Jason is a vampire."

He laughed coyly and scratched the back of his head. "A leech maybe, but a vampire is a bit farfetched. Why does he think this?"

Madison reached into her bag and handed him a copy of the evidence that Dorian found and watched him in anticipation as he read through it all. Everything that was there indicated to Stefan that her boss was right in his theory, but he wanted to know how he knew about the existence of vampires. He couldn't ask her this without telling her the truth about him, but it could scare her off. He looked up from the pages, his forehead creased as he tried to work out what to say to her. If Dorian was right, which he most likely was, then without vervain and the right knowledge, she was in danger. He needed to work this out for himself and to that, he needed to see Jason.

* * *

"Do you believe Dorian?"

She shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. "I don't know what to believe. Vampires can't be real, can they?"

Stefan didn't answer her question and handed the pages back to her. "I don't know what to tell you, Maddie."

"Do you think this is real, Stefan because I feel like I've stepped into the Twilight Zone."

"I don't know, I'm sorry that I can't be any help to you." He couldn't drop the bomb into her lap without knowing the facts himself. If Jason was a vampire then he had to come clean to her about his past and show her how to defend herself from him, he had to help his friend.

"Maybe things will make sense in the morning. I'll tell Dorian to keep digging and try to find a more logical explanation." She got onto her feet and placed her bag back onto her shoulder. "Sorry for bothering you with this, if I went to Hayden about it, he'd probably laugh at me or get pissed off at the mention of his name."

"Let me know if you find anything else out, we'll get to the bottom of this." He promised her as he walked her to the door.

"Thanks for listening, Stefan."

"Anytime. Just get home safe and have an early night. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Once she was gone, Damon came out of Stefan's room with an expectant look on his face. He thought that they had gotten away from all the vampire shit but now it was here in Clearhollow and Stefan couldn't face it alone.

"Do you want to fill me in?"

"Have you ever heard of a vampire from New York called Jason Ayren?" Stefan stepped towards Damon and watched as he tried to remember the name. "He killed a couple women all over the state and attracted police attention."

"I heard rumours about him when I spent some time in New York City in the 40's but I didn't know what his name was."

"Fancy doing a bit of digging of our own?"

"You're going to get me in trouble with Elena. Where do we start?"

"Knowing how infatuated he is with Madison, there's only one place he'll be tonight, at her boyfriend's house."

"We're going to have to keep a low profile, Stefan. We don't have the same strength that we used to."

"He won't be able to compel us though, but if he tries, we'll have to play along."

"And then what?"

"Then I'll have to tell Madison the truth."

Damon pushed Stefan and raised his voice at him. "Why, why would you do that?"

"Because I'm not going to let her get killed by a madman."

"Sometimes you don't think rationally and it's going to get you hurt or worse, killed."

"Don't worry about me, Damon. I know what I'm doing."

"Stefan's famous last words. I'll have them engraved on your tombstone." Damon grabbed his jacket and placed it on his body. "We better get a move on before I change my mind."

* * *

Stefan turned the headlights off as he pulled up across the street from Hayden's home. There were no other cars that weren't in driveways and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He had a feeling that Jason would make an appearance and he just had to wait to see if his gut instinct was right or not. Not long after arriving, there was a shadowy figure lurking behind a tree and when Damon pointed it out, they kept their eye on it. Once the lights were switched off in Hayden's home, the figure moved from behind the tree and when the street lights illuminated its face, Damon recognised it straightaway.

"Do you know him, Damon?"

He nodded and kept his eyes glued on Jason. "He gave me information once on Katherine. I never got his name, but he sent me in the right direction. He's definitely a vampire because when we spoke, I had just turned Charlotte."

"Is he a threat to Madison?" Stefan looked at his brother and watched his eyes follow Jason.

"Well, he didn't have the best reputation back in the day." He leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a better look. "He's been invited into the house."

Without saying a word, Stefan rushed out of the car and made his way towards the house. Damon didn't hesitate to follow him but when he caught up to him, he gripped Stefan by the arm and made him face him.

"What do you think you're doing, Stefan? Don't be stupid."

"All I'm going to do is knock on the door and make him flee. Then I'm going to tell Madison the truth. If he's a threat, I need to stop him."

* * *

 **A:N What do you think of Dorian working out what was really going on? How do you think Madison will react to Stefan's truth when she finds out next chapter. Thank you for your support and thanks for continuing to read this story. Let me know what you think will happen next.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

All he wanted to do was hold her again, be in her company and feel that love that she provided him; the time he had spent with her, as short as it was, was the happiest he had been in his life. He watched her as she slept peacefully, rolling onto her back to spread out in Hayden's absence. Jason made him wait downstairs, he could bear to see her hold him as she slept. He squatted beside her and reached over slowly to touch her face. He wanted to know what she was dreaming about, he was naive to think that she was dreaming of him, but he held onto that thought. He wouldn't ruin it for himself. He was tempted to steal her from Hayden's bed and take her back to his home; he didn't want a compelled love, but he didn't want no love at all.

He wasn't thinking straight, he was starving and lovelorn. He was being irrational, she had to love him for the person he was. No compulsion. He already hurt his own feelings once by compelling her, he didn't want to burn again. His eyes flickered to the window when he heard a knock at the door. He moved to the window and watched her stir in her sleep. He pushed the blinds down and peered at the two men that stood at the door. He knew one of them straightaway as his own attention turned to the man staring out the window. It was Damon Salvatore, he would recognise that smug face anywhere.

* * *

He was at the bottom of the stairs in an instant, but Hayden was already at the door with his hand on the doorknob. "Don't open that, go up to bed and forget this happened." They knocked on the door again, louder this time and he worried that Madison would wake up and come to inspect. He opened the door and raised a brow at the two.

"Hello Jason. Fancy seeing you here." Damon greeted with a smirk as he stepped into the house, pushing past his old acquaintance.

"I see you've been invited in."

"My brother over there is friends with Madison." Damon replied as he sat on the sofa, his arms rested along the back of it. "I'm sure if you had of done a bit more research, you would've known that."

"So, you're the infamous Stefan Salvatore. I was wondering if I'd ever get the chance to meet you."

"Can't say that I've been wanting to meet you though," Stefan leant against the wall and folded his arms stiffly across his chest. He wanted to seem as intimidating as possible, "I've heard a lot of bad things about you. And I'm sure you can imagine my worry for Madison when I saw you lurking outside of Hayden's house. Now tell me, how the hell did you get invited in?"

"It's not that hard when these people aren't on vervain." Jason glanced over at Damon with a shrug. "It's easy pickings."

"He's got you there, Stefan. Easy pickings." Damon looked at his brother with furrowed brows before he got back onto his feet. "Why don't you just go, and we won't tell Madison that you were here?"

"And why would I do that?" he looked at the brothers in turn. "Because I'm outnumbered? You don't want Madison to come down here either so you two aren't going to do anything to wake her."

"Then why don't you tell us what you're doing here, for old time's sake." Damon said with a strained smile, he hated Jason. He knew he was a sleaze from the moment he met him.

"Love, you should know all about doing stupid things for love. You did follow Katherine for how long?"

"Irrelevant. If you want Madison that much, then why haven't you killed her boy toy?" Damon questioned as he fixed his jacket.

"Damon." Stefan warned but he shut his mouth when Damon held his hand out to him.

"Let him answer, brother."

"I have my reasons."

"You're in the house, why not kill him?" Damon pressed.

Stefan watched his brother try his best to get the information out of Jason, but it clearly wasn't working. His mind went into overdrive as he tried to come up with a reason for Hayden staying alive. The thought came to him; how many times did Damon and Stefan play with their humanity switch? What or who brought it back on so many times? That's when he remembered what Madison said about Hayden's sister; her disappearance all those years ago… Around the same time Jason made her acquaintance.

"If you had of killed him, you could've got into the house, but you didn't just need him to get you into the house. His sister is with you and her humanity switch is off." Stefan watched his attitude change, he was caught out and his face give it away. "I bet she's a nightmare but if she had her humanity back, she'd be out of your hair and you could spend all your attention on Madison."

"I'm impressed, you worked that out very quickly." He could hear Madison climbing out of bed and didn't fancy having to explain himself to her. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut our time together short." He was gone in a second, leaving the two brothers to deal with Madison's barrage of questions.

* * *

"What the hell are the two of you doing here?" she said as she dropped off the last step, her arms were crossed, either from the chill in the air or the anger coursing through her.

"Jason was in the house. We spotted him." Stefan tried to explain, but he was doing it poorly.

"Spotted him from where? You live on the other side of the town."

"We were watching the house."

Damon rolled his eyes and pushed Stefan out of his way. "Listen, Madison. I kind of eavesdropped on your conversation with Stefan and I think it's time you know the truth. Stefan's just going to try and protect you by keeping you in the dark."

"What are you doing, Damon?" Stefan protested as he gripped him by the arm. He glanced at Madison, she looked confused.

"Vampires are real, and Jason is one."

She laughed cynically and shook her head. "Oh my god, I'm still dreaming." She ran her hands down her face.

"No, you're not, you're awake and this is real."

"And how did the two of you make this discovery, huh? Did you know this Isobel woman too? Did everyone know her except me? You sound just like Dorian, and it's fucking crazy."

* * *

Stefan stepped forward and approached his friend, resting his hands on her shoulders, hoping to find the rational side of her. "The reason we know about vampires is because Damon and I used to be vampires. It's a long story and if you want answers, I'll give them to you."

Madison looked at them in disbelief. Was she going crazy herself because this couldn't be real? Were they messing with her because they found what she said about Jason funny? She bet that they had a laugh or two at her expense before coming here. She shrugged Stefan from her shoulders and moved back towards the staircase.

"You're very funny, I hope you had fun at my expense." When Stefan tried to stop her, she pushed him back and stared at him from over her shoulder. "Just get out, I have work in the morning."

He watched her walk up the stairs and let out a sigh. He had blown it, he partly blamed Damon because he forced his hand, but Stefan knew that he should've told her that day. Now, he didn't even know if he had a friendship with Madison anymore. As they walked back towards the car, he glanced back at the house noticing that she was watching them from the bedroom window. When he met her eyes, she closed the blinds on him and switched off the light. He messed up but he had a feeling that she would come back looking for the answers to all her questions.

* * *

She was in the office alone, staring at the drawing board Dorian had created before he had the chance to fill her head with more nonsense. Vampires couldn't be real, she wasn't going to allow herself to believe it. It just made so much sense when it was laid out in front of her. She sipped at her coffee and jumped a little when Dorian stormed into his office. He looked a bit frazzled as he set his briefcase down on his desk.

"Sorry I'm late, Madison. I was at the courthouse filing some reports for one of our cases."

"No need to apologise, it gave me time to think about your theories."

His eyes perked up as he looked to the drawing board. "Oh? And did you get your second opinion?"

"I did, but I still don't believe it. I think my friend was playing some sort of a prank on me. He said that he and his brother used to be vampires." She shook her head and sat down in front of Dorian, resting her head in her hand. "I don't think vampires are real. There has to be a better explanation."

"Did you press your friend on his insight? This could be a breakthrough."

"Didn't you hear me? They were messing with me."

He tilted his head and lowered himself slowly into his chair. "And what if they weren't? What's his name? Have you searched him online?"

"Stefan Salvatore and no, I haven't." she watched as Dorian typed furiously into his computer; she had no idea what he was going to find and part of her didn't want to know. She was unsure of how she would feel if she found out Stefan and Damon were telling the truth.

He peered at her from over the computer screen with a victorious look. "Did Stefan mention where he came from?"

"Virginia."

"I've just found an old article from a local newspaper dated back to 1864." He waved her over and pointed at the name he had been searching for. It was an article about a fire in a small town that claimed a few lives; one of which being Stefan Salvatore. "You can't deny that evidence."

She looked down at her boss, letting out a defeated sigh. It felt as if she was going mad, but she had to face the facts; vampires were obviously real and if Jason was one, then she was in danger.

"I'll go back to my friend and get more information; can we just start working on cases other than this; my head is spinning."

Dorian looked up at her, noting how uncomfortable she looked. He nodded slowly and pulled out a dossier from his desk. It was a simple divorce case and he hoped it would take her mind off everything that was going on in her life.

"Have a read of that, break it down for me and present what you find. I'll give you a half hour."

She held the dossier to her chest, almost hugging it and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, it'll be nice to get back to a bit of normalcy." She sat at the other end of the desk and flicked through the pages, letting out a sigh of relief as she looked through the evidence Dorian's client provided of his wife's infidelity. This kind of work was kind of pure, in a weird way.

* * *

He waited by the little café near Hazel's office, glancing at his watch every so often. Stefan was feeling a little on edge; his only friendship was up in the air and it didn't help that they had to go bowling that night with Hazel's high school friends. Damon was trying his best to get Stefan a heavy supply of vervain and he was waiting with anticipation for his text. His stress seemed to disappear when he saw Hazel with that massive grin on her face. She placed a peck on his cheek, lingering for a moment.

"Ready for some lunch?"

"Always, how long of a break have you got?"

"An hour." She led him into the café and found a table for the both of them in the corner, out of the way from the lunchtime bustle. She could sense that something was a little off with him, but she wasn't going to press him on it, he would tell her if he wanted to. Hazel was working on reigning in her eagerness.

"Are you excited for tonight? I'm sure you and your old friends haven't done something like this in years." He said as he read over the menu.

"Honestly, I'm a little nervous."

"How come?"

"Because if they remember what I remember, I wasn't the best friend to any of them. I'm just hoping that they've forgotten about it."

* * *

He looked at her from over the menu and noticed how she scratched at the back of her neck, it was her tell-tale sign that she was feeling anxious. She had confided in him about her anxiety and although it was a mild diagnosis, it still bothered her from time to time. He grabbed her hand and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, wanting to take away most of the anxious nerves she was experiencing.

"It's been years and all of you are adults now, they loved spending time with you at Madison's party, if they still harboured negative feelings then the alcohol would've brought that out." He tilted his head at her and gave her a relaxed smirk. "You're thinking too much about it."

"You always seem to know what to say to calm me down."

"It's the truth. Everyone's got their own stuff to deal with now, they're not going to be thinking about what happened years ago. Tonight, is going to be a good night, we are going to win and pummel your friends."

She bit her bottom lip and flipped her own menu up to cover her face, her eyes skimming the options unenthusiastically. "There's nothing like a bit of friendly competition."

"Exactly." They ordered their lunch and once the waiter was gone, Stefan continued, "Besides, you're not the one who has any need to worry about people being standoffish."

"What're you talking about? What's happened?"

"Madison's not really speaking to me. We had a bit of a falling out."

Hazel waved him off and rested her head on her hand. "I'll give you a bit of advice about Madison because I do know her better than you do… Kind of… Anyway, she overreacts and makes herself self-destruct and usually takes casualties with her. Whatever happened between the two of you will blow over. The amount of times we've fallen out over the years because of something stupid is shocking."

"I just don't want things to be awkward tonight and I don't want all the attention to be on the tension between us; this is your night to reconnect and I don't want to take that away from you."

Her nose crinkled as she grinned at him again. "You're sweet, but so silly. I would rather you make up with your friend than worry about me 'reconnecting' with mine." Before Stefan, Hazel would've made the night about her, but she was trying to fix that flaw within herself. She had no reason to be so self-conscious anymore; Stefan liked her for her. He must've saw that she was trying because he kissed the back of her hand before leaning over the table to plant a kiss on her lips. If only she knew how calming she was to his confusing life.

* * *

For a change, Madison was home before Hayden and the silence in the house was like a breath of fresh air. For the past couple of days, since Dorian and Stefan informed her about the supernatural presence in her life, it felt like she couldn't breathe. It felt good to do something normal instead of thinking about vampires; this bowling night was exactly what she needed. She took a quick shower, letting the warm water wash away all the anger that she had been harbouring inside her and it let her think clearly; she needed to apologise to Stefan. She could see now that he was only trying to protect her and Hayden from Jason. Perhaps her comments were an overreaction.

The front door opened, and Hayden's toneless singing drifted through the house, she couldn't help but laugh as she wrapped a towel around her body. Once she was dried off, she put on something comfortable but presentable and jogged downstairs, attacking him with a hug from behind. He almost dropped the yoghurt he was eating and pulled the headphones out of his ears.

"You almost scared me half to death, what are you doing home so early?"

"Dorian likes to go home early on a Friday, so I got to go home too." She kissed his shoulder and let him go. "The water's warm if you want to grab a shower."

He nodded and finished his snack. "What time are we meeting the gang?"

"I think six, so you've a couple of hours."

"I was thinking that we should go see your father before we go." His face dropped slightly, he couldn't help it.

"What's going on?" she could read his face well and she knew that there was something wrong.

"It's nothing serious but your sister was at the swimming class this morning and she mentioned that your dad hasn't been coping well by himself."

Madison ran out to the hallway and grabbed her shoes, wrestling to put them on her feet. Hayden followed her out and raised a brow. "You get yourself ready and I'll go see him now."

"You don't want me to go with you?"

"I know that this has something to do with mum and he won't tell me the truth if you're there. I'll be home at five." She kissed him quickly and grabbed her car keys before rushing out the door.

He watched her drive off from the living room window and shuddered a little when he felt Jason's energy come into the room.

"Good job Hayden, now there's one more thing that I want you to do…" he said as he approached him, a devious smile crossing his sinister face.

* * *

Madison sat at the kitchen table and waited for the coffee that her father was making her. He hadn't said much since she got there. She looked over her shoulder at him and cleared her throat before saying, "So what's going on with you then, dad?"

"What do you mean, Maddie?"

"Hayden said that Maria was at the pool this morning… She mentioned that you were feeling a little lonely."

He handed her the coffee and raised an eyebrow. "Maria was here with me all day, we were clearing out some of the old junk in the attic. You just missed her actually."

She sipped at the hot coffee, wincing when she burnt her tongue. She set the ceramic mug on the table and turned in her chair to face her father. "She was here all day?" when he nodded, it made Madison feel confused. "Why would Hayden say something like that? He really had me worried about you."

"Maddie, you and your brother and sister haven't left my side since your mother passed away; if anything, I need a bit of time to myself instead of having all their kids running around and making a mess of my house." He smiled at her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate you coming to check up on me, but I'm okay. I promise."

"I panicked when he said that to me because I feel really guilty about not being here with you. We were having such a good time together."

"I must admit, breakfast isn't as exciting anymore, but I know that you're at Hayden's for your own protection. If I'm ever feeling a little lonely or down in the dumps, I will call you myself. I don't need Maria or Mitch to express my feelings for me." He drank some of his coffee and leaned against the counter top. "I may be getting old, but I'm still sharp."

"You're too sharp for your own good." She looked into her cup as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I've a question for you before I go."

"Shoot."

She was trying hard not to think about Dorian's theories, but the thought kept slipping in and out of her mind. Madison wanted someone to tell her that there was no way that vampires existed; her father would be that person. "Do you believe in the supernatural?"

"Definitely. Sometimes I feel your mother's spirit just before I go to sleep."

"I don't mean ghosts, dad. What about vampires?"

"It would be a bit rich of me to say that I believe in ghosts but not the other supernatural beings." He sat across from her and thought for a while about her question. He made a noise and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess they could be real, but only in rural places."

She laughed a little and shook her head. "Rural places?"

"Like in the rainforests. Uncharted territory and all of those kinds of places. The world has a lot of secrets and you've got to remember that anything is possible." He scratched at his chin and placed his arm on the back of his chair. "If you had of asked me that question before your mother died, I would've said that there was no way that I believed in that stuff; but I'm telling you now, I've felt your mother's spirit almost every night since she died. I would believe anything now."

Madison understood where her father was coming from and she knew that before she believed for herself that she would have to witness a vampire in action for herself. It was probably a bad idea, but she was going to test Jason and she knew that he would be willing to see her again.

* * *

 **A:N Thanks for reading this story and this chapter, how do you think things will go for Madison when she tries to catch Jason in the act of being a vampire and what has Jason planned for her and Hayden? Thanks for all the support!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Humanity**

 **Summary:** Humanity wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Damon and Elena had moved on, Caroline eventually moved on and Mystic Falls forgot all about Stefan. Nothing was more comforting to him than a small suburban town, but when he meets a woman called Madison, he realises that his human life might not be as boring as he thought.

 **Chapter Nine**

* * *

By the time Madison and Hayden got to the Bowl-a-drome, they were more than fashionably late and neither of them were in the mood to take part in this tournament. Once she got back from her dad's, both of them got into a heated argument over the false information Hayden gave her; he was denying everything like he had no recollection of ever saying it and it only made her feel more frustrated. She walked in by herself as he parked the car, looking for a friendly face to help diffuse the tension she was feeling; there was one face in particular that she was looking for. She had to apologise to Stefan, and she needed to know more about vampires. Their eyes locked awkwardly as he stood up to grab one of the bowling balls. He broke the eye contact and made his shot, hitting a strike which earned a roar and an applause from Lucy, Eric and Hazel. Stefan turned to Hazel and whispered something in her ear before making his way over to Madison.

"Listen Maddie, I don't want this night to be awkward for us," he said lowly as he approached her.

"Stop," she held her hand up and let out an exhausted sigh, "I know that you were telling the truth about _vampires_. Dorian found an article and it said you died… I don't know all the facts yet and I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this information, but I want to say sorry. I know you were trying to protect me and Hayden from Jason."

"I know that it's a lot to take in and I don't blame you for the way you reacted to seeing me and my brother standing in your house," he cracked a smile and watched the corners of her mouth curl, "but I think that it'd be a good idea to fill you in on everything because clearly, Jason is obsessed with you and from past experiences, it's only going to get you hurt."

"Once we're done with this tournament, could we go get a drink or something and talk about the world of the supernatural? I have so many questions and I desperately need answers."

Stefan looked over her shoulder, noticing Hayden as he walked towards them. "I'll pick you up at eleven."

Madison followed Stefan's gaze and walked towards the group quickly. "Thanks Stefan."

Both men watched Madison as she greeted the group before looking at each other; Stefan could sense that something wasn't right with Hayden, but he didn't know what it was.

"You alright, man?" Stefan stopped him from walking past him, his hand gripping his upper arm.

"What was Madison talking to you about?" his face was screwed up in anger.

"Nothing important… Is everything okay with you two?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." He replied, ripping his arm from Stefan's grasp.

Stefan held his hands up defensively when he pinpointed what was really going on with Hayden. It was as clear as day that he had been compelled. "Okay, I'll stay out of it. I'm just looking out for my friend, that's all."

"Yeah, if you say so." He retorted as he walked towards the group.

Stefan watched him, his whole attitude changing when it came to the rest of the group. He seemed like his normal self with everyone except himself and Madison. He was compelled and Jason was using him as a tool to get what he wanted.

* * *

Madison could barely pay attention to what her friends were saying, her mind had drifted to Jason and how she was going to make him show his true colours. Stefan would probably kill her if he knew what she was planning on doing, but she needed to know if Jason was a vampire. It was all she could think about and now, all she wanted to do was leave this place and get the answers she craved.

"Madison, you're up." Eric snapped his fingers at her and pointed to the lane with his thumb as he returned from his turn.

She stood up, pulling her T-shirt down around her hips as she walked over to the bowling balls. There were eyes all over her as she stepped to the lane, the bowling ball raised and aimed but there was a certain set that seemed to burn into the back of her head. When she took and missed her shot, she turned around and caught a glimpse of Jason, but he was gone in an instant.

"Oh my god, we might actually win this." Lucy exclaimed as she gripped Hazel's hand excitedly.

She returned to her team of Stefan and Hayden, sitting in between the two of them with a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry." She said as she scanned the room once more for Jason.

"If Stefan keeps hitting strikes, we're not going to get the chance to win." Eric replied as he stepped up to take his turn. "How'd you get so good at this, anyway? Are you like a champion bowler or something?"

Stefan watched Madison in his purifiable vision as he leaned back into his chair with a smirk. "I've had a lot of practice over the years."

"Who do you keep looking for?" Hayden asked as he readied himself for his turn.

"Doesn't matter," she got onto her feet and placed her hands in her pockets, "I'm going to go have a cigarette." Madison walked away before anyone could say anything and stood at the front of the building, looking around once more before lighting her smoke.

* * *

"Smoking kills." A taunting voice said from behind her. Jason revelled in watching her jump out of her skin at the sight of him. He made her nervous, he could hear it in her heartbeat.

She placed a hand on her chest and scowled at him, daggering him with her eyes. "Bite me."

"I'd love to," he looked her up and down and placed his hand on the brick wall of the building and rested his weight on his arm. "If I remember right, you used to like it."

She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him. "You're such a creep. Why can't you just leave me alone? Why do you have to follow me everywhere?"

"Because I enjoy watching your relationship with the high school jock crash and burn. Seems like he's not too interested in you anymore." He made a frowny face and tilted his head as he enjoyed this moment they shared.

"Our relationship is none of your business." She could feel frustrations building inside her and she wanted to scream at Jason; but if she lost her cool, he'd only win. "Maybe you should find someone and get out of my life."

"I know that you still dream of me," he knew that fact because he placed those dreams in her mind; it was the only time he could relive their past, "I still love you and that'll never go away." He pushed himself off the wall and moved his hand closer to her face, hoping to brush his fingertips against her soft skin, but she recoiled in disgust. "When I told you forever, I meant it."

"That's why you left out of the blue then?" she scoffed at him and threw her cigarette down. "You're full of shit Jason." When she went to walk away, he gripped her by the arm which made her dig her nails into his hand, but he wouldn't loosen his grip.

"Listen to me, I had a lot of shit on my plate. Someone was coming after me and I couldn't have you dragged into the middle of it." He kept her stable as she tried her best to get her arm free from him. "I do love you, Mads."

"I don't love you." He let her go once those words escaped her lips. Without a second of hesitation, she retreated to the entrance and didn't look back at him. She wasn't going to give him the light of day.

* * *

Madison watched the group from afar before she dared herself to have another showdown with Hayden; whatever was going on with him was baffling her and she hated every second of it. When she wasn't around, he was having fun and as much as it annoyed her to see him laughing and joking with Hazel, she was happy to see him smile. It had been a while since he smiled at her and she missed it desperately. With one deep breath, she left the comfort of her loneliness and faced the music.

"You took your time," Eric said in a teasing tone, "scared of getting beat?"

"Like you could beat us." She retorted as she glanced up at the scoreboard. "If I can get a strike then we're ahead." Madison glanced over her shoulder at Hayden as he watched with his arms crossed and his brow raised. "No pressure then."

She said to herself as she picked up a ball, readying it until she got to the line. Her eye lined up with the middle pin and she released the ball as hard as she could, waiting with bated breath for her shot to pay off and when it did, she jumped up and down, turning to her team mates, Stefan giving her a high five and Hayden gifting her with a half-smile. It was better than all the dirty looks he had been giving her.

"Well done Maddie, first strike you've dealt all day." Lucy bumped her hip against Madison's playfully and draped her arm around Eric's shoulders. "This has been super fun, maybe we should make this a monthly thing."

"That sounds amazing." Hazel smiled at Stefan, her front teeth clenching her bottom lip as he slipped his arm around her waist.

"We should, it's nice getting out of the house and interacting with other people." Hayden's cool tone was directed at Madison, but he placed his hand on the small of her back and looked her in the eye. "What do you think Mads?"

When she looked behind the glare, it was as if Hayden's true emotions were trying to break through, but something was blocking it. She didn't know what it was like in his head, but she could imagine that it was hell; wanting to show true emotion but something made you want to hurt the person you love… She needed to know how to fix this.

"I don't see why not." She looked away from Hayden before she started crying in front of everyone. "It's good having the gang back together."

"We'll be in touch with a date for the rematch." Eric grinned as he led Lucy towards the exit. "Next time, Stefan's on our team." He called out as he headed out the door.

"We should really get going too," Hazel said as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She watched Hayden and Madison, picking up on the tension between the two of them. The Hazel before Stefan would've made a comment, but this wasn't the place for her to intrude; instead she looked at her boyfriend and nudged him gently. "We need to get some dinner because I am starving."

Stefan nodded and glanced at Maddie, mouthing, "See you at eleven," before following Hazel out of the Bowl-a-drome.

* * *

When it was just the two of them left, neither knew what to say. The walk back to the car was worse, Hayden wouldn't walk beside her, and he had made it to the car long before she did. Madison's head was spinning, all she wanted to do was save the real Hayden from this imposter. She jogged towards him and got between him and the door, ignoring his requests to move. When she kissed him, his heads momentarily travelled along her spine until he realised what he was doing and pulled away from the kiss.

"It's late Mads, I just want to get home."

It felt like she was getting somewhere with him, in her mind, she thought she could break the compulsion, whatever it was. It was progress nonetheless, and to her, it was a small victory and a giant 'fuck you' to Jason.

* * *

Music blared throughout the house when Jason returned home, he followed it to the source; Jayda and her party of victims. He stepped over the body of a young woman and ripped the plug of her speakers from the wall which only made her drop her third blood vessel on the floor.

"Hey! I was enjoying that." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she spoke. "You used to be fun."

"Fun is over." He pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his hand at the mess in her room. "Clean this up and keep the noise down. I can't have police coming looking for these people."

"Police? I bet they'd be tasty." She sat on the edge of her bed and flopped onto her belly; her legs raised in the air. "Why don't you just join me in a binge? It'd make you less, salty."

"You know what would make me less 'salty'?" he took a few steps towards her bed, sitting down beside her before he gripped her by the throat. "If you would stop trying to ruin my chances with Madison and actually do what I told you to do."

"If I wanted to hang out with my baby bro, I would've a long time ago." She slapped his hand off her neck and rolled her eyes. "You're such a bore at times."

"You need to keep him away from Madison because the more and more he pushes her away, the more she comes back to him." He looked around the room at all the spilt blood on the floor and rolled his eyes. "It's repulsive."

"Have you ever thought that this," she waved her hand in front of his face, "is an unhealthy obsession with a girl who got over you a long time ago?"

"Never." He stood up and marched out of her room, groaning when he stood in a sticky patch of blood that stained his shoes. "Call him, visit him… Do whatever it takes to keep them separated."

Jayda watched him leave her bedroom and raised a brow; she wasn't Jason's slave and she was starting to grow tired of doing his biddings. Why should he think that he's in control of her? Just because he gave her immortality. Making her like this was going to be his biggest mistake because now, she wanted to blow up his life from the inside and she was going to do it by giving her brother pieces to the puzzle. Once he was destroyed, she was going to live her life the way she wanted to; with parties and an endless supply of blood.

* * *

He handed her a cup of coffee and sat at the other end of the sofa, waiting for Madison's barrage of questions to come his way. Stefan hoped that she wouldn't ask too many hard questions about his past, he had managed to dance through Hazel's questions without giving away too much about his vampiric life, but now that Madison knew, he wasn't going to keep the secrets but he wasn't going to give them away willingly.

"I've just got to ask, you're not a vampire anymore… Are you?" she held the cup to her lips and watched him shake his head. "How?"

"It's a long story, but my brother and I are no longer afflicted."

"Did you enjoy being a vampire?"

"No. I struggled for most of my life. Don't get me wrong, I had good parts but the bad outweighed them. This, a human life, it's what I wanted." He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee. "You don't know how good it is to be able to grow old."

"Yeah, come back to me in sixty years' time when I've got two new hips and wrinkles for days." She was trying to be light-hearted, but she could tell by Stefan's expression that he was being completely serious. "I can see that you're not wanting to discuss yourself, so I'll respect your boundaries but, I want you to tell me everything about compulsion and how to get rid of it because I don't know if I can live a life with someone who can't even stand being around me."

He looked down at the floor, knowing that what he was about to say was going to send Madison into an emotional tailspin. "Compulsion is something that vampires use to make people forget things or to command humans to act a certain way which is probably why Hayden's been so weird with you."

"Right, how do I get it to stop?"

"The only way we can break it is if Hayden dies."

Madison almost choked and gripped onto the back of the sofa to stop herself from collapsing onto the floor. "What? You're not being serious."

"I wish I wasn't. If we can stop his heart and restart it, his compulsion will be gone, and he should go back to normal."

"Do I look like I know CPR? He's the one that knows all that. How would I even do that and why am I considering it?"

Stefan shrugged and shook his head. "I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don't."

"Well if we did this and it worked, is there anyway to stop Jason from doing it again? You know, I can't just stop Hayden's heart every time he gets a little irate with me."

"There's a plant called vervain, if you wear it or ingest it, it'll stop compulsion. When Damon came and saw that Jason was here, I asked him if he would send me enough to dump it into the town's water supply." Stefan rubbed his hands together and watched her process all his information. "It works, we did it in Mystic Falls."

"Even though you were vampires?"

He nodded and let out a breath. "I've got some here but it's not enough for both of you and myself. When I get more, you can put it in Hayden's drinks but for now, I want you to take it. If Jason's compelling Hayden, then there's a good chance that he's already did it to you."

"How would I know?"

"Have you experienced a lapse in judgement or lost time?"

She held the warm cup to her chest as she tried her best to remember anything that would be useful. Then she remembered the day that Jayda turned up and she found herself on a park bench. She remembered the confusion, but she couldn't remember why she was there or what she was doing. "That son of a bitch." She whispered.

"See how easy it is for him? The two of you could've done anything and you'd have no recollection."

She squirmed and raised her hand. "Please, don't remind me. When is Damon going to deliver this vervain?"

"He's got contacts back home, so hopefully soon."

"Well, if we're going to break Hayden's compulsion, we're going to have to do it ASAP."

Stefan nodded in agreement, but they were going to have to do it discreetly. "Luckily for you, I know CPR, so it's up to you. Whenever you want to do this, let me know and I'll do my best."

"The moment that vervain is in his system and there's no way for Jason to worm his way back into my boyfriend's head, we break it." She rested her head on her hand and stared at the wall behind her. "Tell me what else I've got to expect."


End file.
